Change of Heart
by devilindistress
Summary: Katara, the intern, collides with Zuko, the actor. When the paparazzi blow the whole thing out of proportion, they make a deal with each other. It was supposed to be nothing personal, just business...But what happens when feelings start to get in the way?
1. Chapter 1: The New Girl

**Chapter 1: The New Girl**

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><p>Katara took a deep breath as she read the sign of the building in front of her. <em>White Lotus Studios<em>, it said in giant gold, green and white letters. It was her first day as an intern for the writer's department. She started walking to the entrance and tried to ignore her nerves which were slowly eating her up inside.

Once she closed the double doors behind her, she was met by a large room with couches on every wall and an information desk on one corner. The walls were a shade of calming yellow and on them hung several framed posters of the studio's most famous movies and television shows. Chewing her gum and reading a fashion magazine, a girl with a small ponytail sat behind the desk. Katara headed over to her and cleared her throat. The girl looked up and put her magazine away.

"May I help you?" she asked, popping her gum.

"Uh, yeah… H-Hi… umm…" Katara stuttered. Her nerves were winning.

The Ponytail girl chuckled and set her hands on the computer keyboard beside her.

"Let me guess. You're an intern aren't you?" she asked, ready to type.

"Yeah… Katara Mizu…" Katara replied, holding out her hand.

The girl shook it and smiled back.

"Call me Song. Here's your first piece of advice: don't look too nervous. Confidence goes a long way, sweetie. So, is there anyone who "

"Actually, I talked to someone earlier. Her name was… uhhh… Ty something…"

"Oh, you mean Ty Lee?"

"My ears are burning!" a cheerful high-pitched voice called from the double doors beside the information desk.

Another girl stood there with a bright smile on her face. She was wearing a swishy knee-length hot pink skirt, a plain white tank top and a baby pink cardigan. Glittery pink ballet flats and matching set of glass earrings and a long necklace topped her look. Her light brown hair was fixed in a long braid near the top of her head.

"Hi!" she greeted, skipping over to Katara, who didn't know whether to welcome or to be scared of the Ty Lee's enthusiasm. "You must be Katara. It's so exciting to meet you! We don't really get a lot of interns in the writing department. If you'll follow me, we'll get started."

With that, Ty Lee headed back to the double doors from which she came. Katara waved goodbye to Song and follow Ty Lee. After going through the doors and taking several turns along the corridors, they arrived at a television set. Since there was a current filming, it was filled with people buzzing about and getting their jobs done. Katara gasped as she realized what she was watching – the taping of her favorite soap opera, _As The Fire Burns_. She gasped again when she saw a beautiful lady getting her make-up done. She was wearing a long red gown and five-inch heels. Diamonds adorned her neck and her ears. Her slick black hair was coiffed perfectly and her nails were as sharp as needles. It was Azula Agni, who had received the most awards for Best Actress in a Soap Opera.

"Don't get too excited." Ty Lee said, nudging her. "She's not that friendly in person."

"Wha-" Katara replied, snapping out of her trance. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. Just stay out of her way and she'll leave you alone."

"Okay, thanks for the advice."

"No problem. By the way, all the rooms we passed earlier were the marketing, advertising and other business offices. We'll pass by several sets before we arrive where you'll be working."

Katara nodded, took one last look at Azula and followed Ty Lee deeper into the studio. After several minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the writers' department… or at least that was what it was supposed to look like.

Katara expected a boring grey office with cubicles but instead, she stood there looking at a large entertainment room. There were several flat-screen TVs with video games and DVDs placed beside each one, a mini-diner on one corner and even a court for indoor sports and games.

"_This_ is my office?" she asked in amazement.

"Technically, yes." Ty Lee replied. "Actually, your cubicle is inside those double doors beside the court but this room is where you guys are supposed to get 'inspiration' or something. I don't know with the boss but he just says that he wants you to have a conducive environment."

"Cool." Katara couldn't help grinning. Suddenly, her nerves disappeared and she felt relaxed.

"Let's go and meet the other people you'll be working with."

The pair entered the double doors and saw a room with cubicles and computers. There were people typing at almost every cubicle.

"Hi, everybody!" Ty Lee said, getting everyone's attention. "This is our new intern, Katara. She'll be working here with us and hopefully, she'll get a permanent job here."

Katara gave everybody a smile and they all waved back. Ty Lee led her to a an empty cubicle and let her sit down.

"So, this cubicle is yours. You're free to design it however you want. Point is, you just have to submit your requirements by the end of each week. Since you're an intern, the boss wants to see how good you are exactly so your job is to just write a short plot for each of the themes given to you. There will be a new list every week and there's no strict format yet so just do what you want. Are there any questions?"

"Actually, yes. Is there a dress code here?"

Katara, wearing skinny jeans, a light blue peasant blouse and cork wedges, couldn't help feeling that she was underdressed next to Ty Lee.

"No. Everyone just dresses pretty casually around here. Just make sure you don't reveal too much skin."

"Sure… casually…" Katara said, still staring at Ty Lee's outfit.

"Hey, don't think that you're underdressed because of me." Ty Lee giggled, sensing Katara's discomfort. "I just like looking fabulous! Well, that's all for now, I guess. Ciao! Good luck!"

Skipping away to her private office in the corner, she left Katara alone… or so she thought.

"Don't know how to react, huh?" a girl in green said, leaning on the wall that separated her cubicle from hers. "Don't worry. We all know Ty can be a little bit… overwhelming. I'm Toph by the way."

"Hey…" Katara said, shaking her hand. "Have you been working here for a long time?"

"Meh… Two years. Not _that_ long. But hey, I'll show you around later if you want."

"Cool. That'd be great."

Toph nodded and went back to her cubicle. Katara finally got a chance to read the first list of themes which was posted on the corkboard on one of her walls. After brainstorming for a few minutes, she decided to go to the bathroom. Heading out of the writer's department, she took a few turns to the left and a few to the right and before she knew it, she was lost. She would have called someone but who would she call? Her mother?

_This is just pathetic_, she thought. _Great. I managed to get lost on my very first day. This sucks! Now how am I going to get back to-_

Suddenly, a deep voice interrupted her reverie.

"You're new here, huh?" a man said, leaning on the wall behind her.

He was wearing a leather jacket, a red shirt, black jeans and dark red sneakers. His shaggy black hair fell on his face, partly covering his golden eyes. On the left side of his face was a red flame-shaped scar. Seeing the scar would have repelled most people but Katara found him oddly handsome with it.

When she realized what she was thinking, she immediately reddened and looked away. Seeing this, the guy walked closer and smirked.

"You didn't answer my question…" he reiterated. His husky voice was slowly becoming music to her ears and he knew it.

"Uhh… Y-Yeah… Is it that obvious?" Katara replied, barely able to look at the man straight in the eyes.

"A little bit, considering you're in the Actors and Actresses' Department. Since I know everyone here and I've never met you before, you must be new."

"Oh yeah? Maybe you just never noticed me before…"

"I doubt that…" the man continued, his golden eyes boring into her ocean blue ones. "I know I would have certainly remembered _you_…"

Katara giggled involuntarily. She tried to pull herself together but it was really hard considering there was a really sexy guy standing in front of her and hitting on her.

"I-I'm actually an intern from the Writers' Department…" she replied.

"Ahhh…." he said, making a gesture for her to follow him down the corridor. "Smart girl, eh? I like that."

After a few turns, they were back in front of the Writers' Department. Katara sighed with relief as she saw the familiar sign beside the double doors.

"Thank you so much. Would you mind telling me where the bathroom is?" she asked again.

"There's a bathroom inside the Writer's Department. If I remember correctly, it's on one of the corners of the entertainment room."

"Thank you again." Katara replied, silently smacking herself for not spotting the bathroom earlier. "I would have been lost for hours if you hadn't come around…"

"Hey, consider me your knight in shining armor…"

Suddenly, his phone beeped and he read the text. Rolling his eyes at what he read, he put his phone back in his pocket and faced Katara again.

"I have to go. I'm sorry." he said. "But hey, we work in the same place so I'll see you around?"

"S-Sure…"

"Great… Don't miss me too much, okay?"

He gave her a wink before he ran off to another section of the studio. Once she was alone, Katara finally walked to the bathroom. Facing the mirror, she put her hair up in a high ponytail and stared at herself in the mirror.

_Focus, Katara. Your main priority right now is to get a job here as a writer, not to get dates. _

After clearing her mind for work, she headed back. As she sat in her cubicle, she couldn't help wondering why that guy looked so familiar.

_I know I've seen him before… but where? He just looks so familiar. I think I also know his name… It's on the tip of my tongue… Who _is _he?_

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

Hey guys! I'm back! So, this is my new fic. It's obviously Zutara. I'll write and post my entries of Zutara Week 2011 later on. I've just had this plot in my head for so long so I just had to write it already.

BTW, Katara's mom (Kya) is alive, Toph isn't blind and Ty Lee doesn't worship Azula in this fic.

So what do you think? Does it look interesting? Are there any points where I can improve on?

Feel free to comment, suggest, react violently and stuff… (But I would appreciate it if people don't bash me if they don't like the shippings in this fic.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in it.

So yeah, hope you liked it! R&R please! :)


	2. Chapter 2: A Week Later

**Chapter 2: A Week Later**

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><p>"You're doing pretty well for a newbie." Toph said, her head hovering over my shoulder.<p>

"You think so?" Katara asked, giving my work another once-over before turning around to face her. "You don't think it's too… amateur?"

"No, actually. I bet you'll be hired in less than a month. Plus, we could really use fresh stuff like yours especially now that As The Fire Burns just gained more viewers than ever."

"Seriously?"

"Uh-huh. Check this out."

Toph handed her the magazine she was reading and showed me the article. Pictures of the star, Azula Agni, were all around the text.

"You know they could have given credit to the other actors too." Katara commented. "I mean, sure, Azula's great but she's not the only person who makes the show what it is."

Toph scoffed and rolled her eyes. "That's showbiz for you."

Katara flipped the pages of the magazine, looking for something else to interest her when a certain photograph caught her eye. She looked closer at the page and gasped.

"What?" Toph asked. "Don't you know who they are?"

"Oh my god, Toph." Katara said, pointing to the picture. In it was a couple holding hands and posing for their red carpet photo. The woman was tall and pale and she was wearing a dark red gown – a strapless corset-styled top with a floor-length skirt – with a matching sheer shawl. Her jet black hair was partly in two buns on either side of her head and partly down. She was slightly smiling but looked like she was quite bored. Beside her stood a tall man with pale skin, gold eyes and a flame-shaped scar on his face. He had shaggy black hair and was wearing a tuxedo with a red long-sleeved shirt underneath. He was also smiling but it was the type of smile one would see on someone who was used to being photographed by the paparazzi.

"What?" Toph asked, raising her eyebrow at Katara. "That's Zuko Agni and Mai Lockhart. Haven't you seen them before? They're, like, in _every_ magazine."

"That's the point, Toph! I _did_ see! Well, I mean, not the girl, but I saw the guy! My god, he was the one who helped me find my way back here before!"

"Okay, Katara, I'm going to need just a little bit of context here."

"Okay so I know this sounds totally pathetic but I got lost on my first day. Somehow, I ended up in the actor's department and I saw him and he helped me find my way back to our office."

"That's it?"

"No! He was totally flirting with me! Well, that is until he got a text and had to go."

"And did you flirt back?"

"Well… yeah." Katara replied, blushing a bit. "Can you blame me? The guy _is_ pretty cute after all."

"So did you know it was him when you were flirting with him?"

"I knew he looked familiar but I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time. It's been boggling my mind ever since."

"Well, now you got your answer."

"Yeah, I know… So is this Mai girl his girlfriend or something?"

"I suppose for this week, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"He has quite a reputation of being a ladies' man. Exhibit A: you. You're totally crushing on him."

A blush crept to Katara's cheeks as she tried to deny Toph's accusation.

"Wha-No! Of course not! Wh-Why would you say that?"

"Because number one, it's pretty obvious with the way you're blushing right now and two, because almost every girl here has or has had a crush on him."

"Well… have you?"

"I said _almost_ every girl, right? Besides… his arrogance bothers me too much."

"Is he really that bad?"

"Uh-huh. Believe me, if that plant over there had breasts, he'd be flirting with her and taking her out on a date already."

"Oh come on, I'm sure he's not _that_ bad…"

"Well, let's say you're right. Nevertheless, his current girlfriend is still going to chew you up and spit you out before you know it. She's a total jealous freak."

"So why is he dating her then?"

"Who knows? It could be for the popularity, for the plus points on their image or something… In my opinion, Zuko Agni's good for like, one night stands or something but for a long-term relationship… maybe when the Fire Nation freezes over."

"Alright, alright. I get your point." Katara said, looking at her watch and realizing that it was already time to leave work.

After I gathered all my belongings, Katara met up with Toph by the door.

"So, you want to go out? It's Friday, after all." she said, leading me to Ty Lee's desk.

"Umm… sure, I guess. But where?" Katara asked

Suddenly, Ty Lee popped up from below her desk and walked with us towards the exit.

"Where what?" she asked in her usual bubbly voice.

"Toph wants to go out but we haven't decided on where to go."

"Oooh! How about a club?" She suggested, clapping and jumping excitedly. "There's this new one just a few blocks away from here. It's called Jenamite. The cool thing is, for a certain time every night, they turn off all the lights on the dance floor and the only illumination left is the light coming from the glow-in-the-dark Jenamite crystals embedded on the ceilings, walls and floors."

"Sounds fun." said Toph. "Let's go for it."

"Are you sure about this? That club seems so… sophisticated." Katara said, getting nervous about entering the social scene at the Fire Nation. "Besides, we're not dressed for a club like that."

"No problem. We can just head back home then meet outside the club after a few hours."

"But-"

Before Katara could protest, Toph and Ty Lee pushed her inside her car and left to find their own cars.

"And remember," Ty Lee called with a big grin on her face. "Dress to impress!"

Sighing and blowing a stray hair away from her face, Katara drove home and started to plan her outfit.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

Hey guys! I'm so sorry that I took super long to update. School was killing me. In fact, I'm just sneaking this in because I still have to do this term paper. :| I _might_ post one more chapter after this if I finish writing it. My writer's block/paralysis is temporarily gone so I'm making the most of it.

There… Btw, I know the club name Jenamite sucks (LOL) but I couldn't think of anything! Idk, I just thought it would be cool if the club had the crystals all over and it would be kind of like the caves in Ba Sing Se/ the Cave of Two Lovers. There :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in it.

So yeah, hope you liked it! R&R please! :)


	3. Chapter 3: Jenamite Night

**Chapter 3: Jenamite Night**

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><p>Katara searched her closet desperately for something that would be fit for the club. Ty Lee's words echoed through her brain.<p>

_Dress to impress! Dress to impress!_

Momentarily, she turned away from her closet and searched the clothes she had thrown on her bed and on the floor.

_What the hell am I supposed to wear? I'm dressed for work, not a club!_

She thought for a while about what she had packed before leaving her home in the Southern Water Tribe. A light bulb in her head lit up as she remembered a gift she had received before from her friends back home.

She ransacked her closet once again and found it. She smiled and chuckled as she remembered the moment when she received the dress from them. It had been a joke, they said, because they knew that Katara was one of the last people they would ever see in a club. It had been a good thing that she never wore it back home though. If her father had seen her out in that dress, he would have grounded her until she turned fifty.

_I guess this would do…_ Katara thought as she changed.

The super tight dress was royal blue with a scoop neckline that was low enough to show just a little bit of her cleavage. It showed off all her curves and ended at mid-thigh, therefore emphasizing her long legs as well.

Katara put her hair up in a messy ponytail, leaving some of her curls to frame her face. She wore matching blue four-inch stilettos and a diamond-encrusted choker (fake, of course, as she didn't want to risk getting mugged on her first week in the Fire Nation). Checking her outfit in the mirror, Katara was surprised that she actually looked good. She had thought that she would end up looking like a prostitute but on her, the dress didn't look too racy.

Suddenly, her phone beeped, signaling a text message. It was from Toph.

Hope you're ready. Ty Lee and I are already on our way.

Grabbing her blue clutch bag and locking the door, Katara rushed from her condo to her car and headed to the club.

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><p>About twenty minutes later, Katara arrived in front of the club, Jenamite. It was hard to miss as it had a huge neon sign that could be seen from blocks way. Plus, rave music was echoing from inside. Parking her car a few meters away, she stepped out and headed to her friends who were waiting by the entrance.<p>

Toph was wearing tight black leather leggings and heels with a loose, rugged, light green, one-shoulder top that almost showed her belly. Her hair was purposely made messy and she wore a green headband, green hoop earrings and plastic green bangles to top it all off.

Ty Lee was wearing a pink halter top that was almost backless, except for three thin straps that ran across her back, and a pink miniskirt that showed off her legs. White lace-up gladiator sandals and pink drop earrings completed her look.

"Hey guys!" I said, relieved that I wasn't over or underdressed. "You look awesome!"

"Thanks. You look great too." said Toph. "I'm impressed. Really not bad for a newbie."

"Yeah, well, I had this dress for years and I never had any use for it until now."

"You should wear dresses like that more often, Katara." Ty Lee said. "You have the body for it anyway."

"Thank you and hey, we'll see. Come on. Let's go in before the line starts getting longer."

* * *

><p>Inside the club, a man of about twenty-three was already sitting on a barstool, waiting for his friend. He had brown shaggy hair and slightly-tanned skin. His eyebrows were permanently crooked in a mischievous way and he wore an arrogant smirk on his face as he eyed the girls on the dance floor. He was wearing a blue and burnt orange patterned shirt that was unbuttoned at the top, slacks, dress shoes and a fedora.<p>

"Hey, bartender." he called. "Another gin and tonic for me. Put it on my tab."

"Take it easy, bro." his friend called. "It's still early. I don't want to have to drop you off at home before the night actually starts."

The man in the fedora faced his friend and gave him a fist bump.

"Hey, Zuko!" said the man in the fedora. "Took you long enough. For a minute there, I actually thought you'd let a Friday night pass by without you going to a club or drinking or whatever."

"As if…" Zuko scoffed. Actually, he was pretty tired. He just couldn't afford to let this pass. Hanging out at the hottest club in the Fire Nation was good for his rep, after all.

"I see you're a little bit dressed down…" said his friend, sipping his new glass of gin and tonic.

Zuko looked at his outfit. He was wearing a black blazer with a red t-shirt underneath that had black calligraphy on it, black dress pants and sneakers.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Zuko asked, raising his eyebrow at his friend.

"Nothing… It's just out of the ordinary. After all, all I see you wear nowadays are tuxedos and dress shirts…"

"You mean those red carpet photos in the magazines? Come on, Jet. You know be better than that. My manager says it's just good to get some publicity. Plus Mai's the one always wanting to attend those parties. By the way, at least I'm not dressed in that weird orange and blue psychedelic-patterned shirt. People will get dizzy just staring at it."

"Okay, first of all…" Jet started. "I know this shirt sucks. I don't know why the hell I bought it and I don't know why the hell my stylist let me wear it. I'm getting a new one tomorrow."

"A new shirt?"

"Nope. A new stylist. Second, you're dating Mai again? Seriously?"

"Yeah… I mean, when you think about it, she's pretty… sophisticated… sweet…"

"Sweet?"

"Yeah, she is…"

"Okay, fine. I believe you, Zuko. Just like I believe that my shirt is the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"Look, can you not give me a hard time about her? I know it sucks. If it were up to me, I'd be free of commitment. Just free to be with all the girls I want, anytime, anywhere."

"Don't be such a downer. We're here to have fun! I mean, come on… Look at all those chicks…"

Zuko followed Jet's gaze on the dance floor. Indeed, there were hot girls everywhere.

"Speaking of girls, any new meat at the office?" Jet asked.

"You would know if you actually went to work." Zuko retorted, smirking at his friend.

"Just answer the question."

"Actually, yeah. There's this new girl from the writer's department. She's pretty hot."

"Thinking of tapping that?"

"Yeah, why not? Besides… girls are all the same. All they want from you is your money, your fame, your credit card… So hell, might as well gain a one-night stand out of it."

"There's the Zuko I know… Anyway, let's go-Whoa…"

Staring at the group of girls entering the club, Jet kept his eyes on the fair-skinned girl wearing a _very revealing_ pink outfit.

"Shut your mouth, Jet." Zuko said, following his stare and recognizing the girl in blue. "Don't show them you're into them. Make them want _you_…"

The two got off their seats and headed towards the three girls.

"Dibs on the girl in pink, bro…" murmured Jet.

"Don't worry… I got my eye on someone else…" Zuko whispered back, straightening his blazer.

* * *

><p>The three girls were unaware of their presence until one of them cleared his throat. He leaned against a wall nearest Ty Lee.<p>

"So… which one of you girls am I taking home tonight?" said the one in the fedora.

The girl in green rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Not me." she said, walking away. "Katara, Ty Lee, I'll be at the bar if you need me."

Shrugging, Jet focused his attention back to Ty Lee.

"And then there were two…" he said. "Hey, I'm Jet. I'm assuming you're Ty Lee..."

Ty Lee giggled and blushed like a little school girl. There was no denying that this guy had charm and looks.

"Uh-huh… Pleased to meet you."

"Come on…" Jet said, offering his arm to her, which Ty Lee gladly took. "I'll buy you a drink."

Zuko and Katara were left, staring at the two who just walked away. A few moments passed by before they started talking.

"So… we meet again…" Katara said, trying not to blush. _My god, why did he have to look so good all the frickin time?_

"So you _do_ remember me… See, I knew I made an impact on you." Zuko replied overconfidently.

"Hello, you're like in every magazine there is. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll join my friend at the bar…"

Katara was about to walk away when Zuko blocked her way.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because I'm not really interested in walking sacks of testosterone like you right now."

_Ooohhh… feisty…_ Zuko thought. _Me likey…_

"Come on, is that any way to treat your knight in shining armor?"

"You walked with me through an office, not saved me from a burning building or something."

"I bet it still counts for something."

"Well, guess what? You just lost all your money."

_Well, well, well… A challenge… _Zuko thought. _Interesting. This is going to be harder than I thought it would be…_

_Why is he hitting on me? Doesn't he have a girlfriend already? _Katara wondered. _Or is he just that much of a player?_

"Come on… One drink, that's all I ask of you." Zuko asked, flashing his winning smile. It took all of Katara's strength to resist.

"If there's anyone here for whom you should be buying a drink, shouldn't it be your girlfriend?" Katara said.

"Enlighten me."

"You and Mai Lockhart. Page twelve. _Benders_ magazine. Funny, I thought celebrities would do a better job of keeping track of their photos."

"Oh, her?" Zuko said. _Crap… I swear this whole Mai thing is really throwing me off my game…_

"Yes, her…" Katara replied smugly. _I got him now… He's totally speechless…_

Suddenly, as Ty Lee said, all the lights went off and the greenish glow of the Jenamite crystals illuminated the club. Recovering from the slight shock, Katara focused her attention back to Zuko. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to meet Zuko's piercing gold eyes.

Zuko stepped closer and gazed right into Katara's hypnotic ocean blue eyes. The Jenamite glow made her look even more beautiful than she already was. He noticed her tension and smirked.

_Yep, that's right… _He thought. _Soon, you'll be all over me…_

"Well, she's not here right now…" Zuko said, keeping his face a few inches away from hers and slowly easing his hand onto her waist. His voice was now lowering to a whisper and his breath on Katara's ear made her shiver. "She doesn't have to know about us…"

"I-uh…" Katara stuttered. She was frozen while Zuko started placing soft kisses on her neck and nibbling her ear. _How could this man have so much charm and so much effect on me?_

Trying to pull her attention away from Zuko, she saw Ty Lee and Jet in a heated make-out session in one of the booths while Toph shook her head at them in disdain. Catching Toph's eye, she sent a look of worry her way. Toph responded with a stand-up-for-yourself look and nodded.

Suddenly, getting the strength to control herself, Katara gently pushed Zuko away, leaving him confused and frustrated.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to make her fall under his charm again.

"Look, this isn't a good idea." Katara said, meeting his stare head-on. "I know men like you and I will _not_ be just one of your one-night stand girls. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the bar to enjoy my night with my friend."

Zuko scoffed and rolled his eyes as she walked away. _So that's what she is… One of those feminist-type girls…_

"You know a million girls would die just to have me with them…" he called after her, hiding his frustration from the rejection.

"Good. Then go get one of them instead. Goodbye, Zuko."

With that, Katara left Zuko in awe. No one had ever talked to him that way, let alone rejected him. Smirking and chucking to himself, he headed over to Jet who was suddenly alone.

"Hey, bro." Zuko said. "Where's Ty Lee?"

"She went to freshen up in the bathroom. We'll be heading out in a while, if you know what I mean." Jet winked.

"Jet, I always know what you mean."

"How about you? What happened to that Katara girl? Struck out? Losing your game?"

Zuko stared at Katara from the booth. She was laughing and drinking with her friend, the girl in green. He started to conjure up a way to get her.

"Nope… Just lost round one…" Zuko replied, sipping his drink

"That sucks, bro. Too bad she's not easy like my date…"

"Nah, I like this one… She's… _a challenge_…"

"Oh really? Is this one actually worth pursuing?"

"I think so… But hey, she's making a huge mistake if she thinks I'm already giving up on her…"

"Okay, then. Good luck with that bro." Jet said, snaking his arm around Ty Lee's waist. "We'll be off…"

Zuko nodded goodbye to them. He smirked and continued to observe Katara from afar.

_Watch out, Katara… You're not getting away that easily…_

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

So yeah, I finished another chapter. Oooohhh things are getting interesting… and steamy ;)

Just so you know, Benders magazine is the equivalent of People magazine. :D I wanted to try out a JetxTy Lee shipping. Idk, I thought it would be interesting. So yeah, hope you like the Zutara steam ;)

I'll update soon. (That is, if school doesn't kill me)

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in it.

So yeah, hope you liked it! R&R please! :)


	4. Chapter 4: Messages

**Chapter 4: Messages**

* * *

><p>It was already ten o'clock in the morning by the time that Zuko woke up. Groaning and rubbing his head, he tried to remember what happened to him before that morning. Flashes of memories from the previous day – Saturday – went through his head.<p>

_Hmm… What the hell happened again? I think I remember being at that club last Friday night. Then, I went home at around… four am? Umm… Then after that… I had a photo shoot that lasted from lunch until late afternoon. Then, I think I went to a party at Jet's house. Or was it at my sister's place? Well, I definitely came home wasted, that's for sure._

Suddenly realizing that he was shirtless, he checked under his blanket if he was naked as well down there. Then, the sound of running water from the shower/bathtub filled his ears.

_Okay, I'm naked, I have a hangover and someone is taking a shower in my bathroom. The question is, who the hell did I hook up with last night?_

He lay back down on his bed and tried to sleep off the intense hangover that he had. After a few minutes, the door of his bathroom opened and a skinny brunette wearing a towel came out with a smile on her face. Zuko sat up slowly and squinted at her, making sure that she didn't realize that he didn't remember her name.

"Good morning, Zuzukins…" the girl said, mistaking his squinty eyes for a look of sleepiness.

"Uhh… Hey… You…" Zuko replied, desperately racking his brain for the girl's name.

The girl started gathering her clothes on the floor and arranging her purse which sat on the couch in Zuko's room. Zuko didn't even bother ogling her. To him, she was just another one-night stand and an unmemorable one at that.

"I hate to be going so soon but I have another photo shoot that I need to attend." she said, finally dressed. Suddenly, her phone rang and she picked up.

"Hello, Riya here." she said. "Uh-huh… Okay…"

As she talked on the phone, Zuko nodded to himself and recapped the events from the previous day.

_Oh yeah. Her name is Riya. I met her yesterday at the photo shoot then I took her to Jet's party and well, here we are._

His train of thought was cut off when Riya sat beside him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well, that was my agent. I gotta go…" she said. "Walk me to the exit?"

Doing a little eye roll, Zuko got up, put on a robe and walked her down the stairs.

"So…" Riya said. "When will I see you again?"

_The hell… _Zuko thought. _Why do chicks always think I'm the more-than-a-one-night-stand type of guy? Actually, scratch that. Why do chicks always think they're good enough to be a more-than-a-one-night-stand type of girl?_

An elevator served as an exit instead of a door. It had glass walls and a gold frame and instead of a concrete wall surrounding it, there was an enormous aquarium. The elevator ran up to the second floor where his living rooms, kitchen and dining room were and down to the enormous garage that held his three cars. He leaned against the glass doors of the elevator as he waited for her to step in.

"Soon, babe." Zuko said, putting on his smirk. "You know I'm always just around the corner."

"Well, I had a great time last night." Riya said, giggling and giving Zuko another peck on the lips. "Did you?"

"Yeah, one of the most exciting nights ever."

Upon hearing his reply, Riya giggled and blushed a deep pink that almost matched her outfit. Unknowingly, she was the latest victim of his infamous sweet talking. More often than not, Zuko meant exactly the opposite of what he said to his dates. Thus, "Yeah, one of the most exciting nights ever" actually meant "No, you were so boring that for the first time ever, I actually wanted to sleep instead of having sex."

"I'd love to do that again another time." Riya said, entering the elevator.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

It wouldn't.

"I hope to see you again soon…"

"Me too."

He doesn't.

"Call me, okay?" Riya managed to say before the elevator doors shut.

"Sure, I will." Zuko said, walking away from the descending elevator.

He won't.

Once Riya was out of the premises, he entered his bathroom and took a shower. While he scrubbed the dirt of the previous day from his body, he made mental notes. Riya was a model and yesterday was only the second time that she was booked. When she saw Zuko, she immediately came over and started gushing about how big a fan she was. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, Zuko turned on the charm and of course, she fell for it. Problem was, Zuko found her too clingy and too boring for his taste.

_Note to self, never date people who are new to the business. They're too clingy. It's much more work dumping them than it is dumping people who know how dating actually works here. Another note to self, never date that Riya girl again. Boring, clingy and kind of a prude. No, just no._

After his shower, he put on his robe and set himself on one of the couches in the living room. He turned on the TV and E! News was on. Once again, he and Mai were one of the main stories. He rolled his eyes.

_Seriously, isn't there anything else on TV except me?_

He turned the TV off and checked his voicemail.

"Hello, Zuzu…" a woman's voice said from the machine. There was only one person who called him that name and that person was his sister, Azula, the most extravagant, selfish diva he had ever met. "You missed the family dinner last night. Dad was pretty pissed. You know how rarely he gets to spend time with us."

Zuko rolled his eyes. Her tone sounded like it was meant to be sad and concerned but it came off as indifferent and uncaring. He could just imagine his sister's face at that moment with her usual sarcastic, does-it-look-like-I-give-a-damn expression.

_What a load of crap… Dad doesn't like spending time with us. He likes spending time with Azula. I'm just 'the other kid' to him. And seriously? Pissed because he didn't get to spend time with his family? Oh please, he's just waiting for one mistake from us so he could remove our names from the will or something. _

Zuko's father was Ozai Agni, the CEO of one of the biggest banks not only in the Fire Nation, but the world. He was the epitome of a workaholic, never had not ever will have the time for anything but work. Azula was always his favorite but Zuko was his mom's favorite. Unfortunately, Zuko's mom, Ursa, died when they were very young and technically, Zuko and his sister were forced to raise themselves.

"Anyway, see you around, brother – hopefully, at least next month when we have another family dinner."

Zuko erased the message and checked the next one.

"Hey dude!" Jet's voice slurred from the machine. "Thanks for attending the party last night, bro. It was totally wicked. Hey, I saw you with that model girl. Pretty hot, if you ask me. So, how was she? As for myself, guess who totally scored a hot threesome last night? Yep, that's right, it's me! I'm telling you Zuko, the only thing better than sex with one chick is sex with _two_. So yeah… You should throw a party at your place some time. Come on… if you do, I'll introduce you to some hot chicks-OH CRAP! I gotta go. My toast is burning. See ya!"

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and frowned. He knew that if he threw a party at his house, his place would totally get trashed and people would just hook up anywhere. _Meh… I'll think about it…_

"Zuzukins!" Riya said from the recording. "I was wondering, did I leave my scarf there? Well anyway, let me know and I'll just come over tomorrow to pick it up!"

Zuko immediately erased the message. _What the hell? That girl was just here fifteen minutes ago! She didn't even have a freakin scarf! _He knew it was just a pathetic excuse to see him again. Riya just made it on his list of People Who Are Going To Get A Restraining Order.

"Hey hey hey! Who's my favorite celebrity? That's right, you are!"

His agent's voice resounded from the machine. Zuko found it _really_ annoying whenever he did that, which was every time they talked on the phone. But to him, an agent was an agent and Zhao was doing his job well. After all, he's still popular, isn't he?

"Anyway, Zuko, my man, I need to talk to you about this Mai thing. I'll come over before lunch, kiddo. See ya then."

_Great. Now what's this all about? If I have to do something totally lovey dovey with Mai in public, I'm going to throw up on her – literally._

The machine indicated one more message on the machine.

"Hey, Zuko…" a dull throaty voice said. It was Mai. Zuko groaned when he heard her voice. She usually just called to let him know that there were new shoes that she wanted or if she wanted to go out to dinner – all at his expense, of course. "I'm doing this taping after lunch at the studio so if you want to come visit me in my dressing room, go ahead. Bye."

_Oh, great. That's just Mai's not-so-secret code – Translation: Visit me and bring expensive flowers so I can show every girl around me that they need to be jealous of me because I'm dating the hottest young star in the Fire Nation and so that I can be on practically every page of Benders magazine._

Needing some time to think, Zuko got up from the couch and walked to the glass doors that led to his balcony. His house was right beside a private beach – _his_ private beach. As he watched the ocean churn against the white sands of the shore, he found himself suddenly thinking about ocean blue doe eyes – ocean blue doe eyes that belonged to Katara.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Katara woke up just after half past six. She stayed home all day the previous day, finishing all the work she had to do. Last Friday night, after having two or three drinks with Toph, she immediately left the club and headed straight to her apartment. She wasn't sure about drinking in the first place but she wanted to forget her encounter with Zuko and she hoped that a few cocktails would help her get the job done.<p>

After getting out of bed and freshening up, she realized that she had a slight headache. She had been having that headache since Saturday morning and the stress kept making it worse.

_Ugh…_ she groaned, clutching her head. _This is what I get for drinking too much in one go. _

Then, she heated a bagel from her fridge and had breakfast while going over her e-mail. The first one was from Toph.

Hey Katara,

Hope you're feeling better about last night. Don't worry about that Zuko jerk. He's all looks and no brains.

_Well, duh, Toph. That's like the biggest understatement ever._

Ty Lee's currently gushing about Jet. She had a one-night stand with him after their steamy make-out session in the club. I hope she knows that that guy isn't for real. If she doesn't know, then that's just sad.

Anyway, I sent you this work thing that I got last night. I think it has our new assignments for the week. See the attachment. Good luck and see you at work.

After downloading the attachment, Katara read the next email. It was from her closest friend from back home – Sokka. She and Sokka had been friends since they were toddlers and before Katara started working in the Fire Nation, they were inseparable. Despite encouragement from their parents and friends, the relationship between them was purely platonic and both wanted it to stay that way. In fact, Sokka acted like a big brother to her and was always overprotective.

Hey Kat!

How's life there in the Fire Nation? Hot? LOL! See what I did there? Hahaha! I kill myself. I hope you're not burning up with stress there. LMAO! I just keep getting better!

Katara shook her head at her friend's joke. Somehow, she never understood Sokka's sense of humor.

Things are pretty much the same here. Kina, Su and Hana want to say hi and that they miss you. Your father's doing well. He still volunteers at the old folk's home every weekend. He misses you though. But hey, believe me. No one misses you more than I do. Come on, I mean, with you there in the Fire Nation, who do I have to annoy? It's draining the money from my pockets too! Hello, I actually have to pay for my own food now!

Katara smiled at Sokka's message. She remembered her friends, Kina, Su and Hana. They were the ones who gave her the dress she wore to the club. They weren't as close to her as Sokka was but they proved to be good friends. Her dad was a retired soldier from the Water Tribe Navy. Since Katara was the only child and could provide for herself, there was so much money left from his savings. He had an innate sense of service and charity so he always insisted on volunteering even if he himself was already a part of the "old folk."

I hope you'll let me visit you there sometime. Besides, even if you say no, I still will. Get real, I'll miss you too much not to visit. I hope you also visit home every once in a while. Don't let all that Fire Nation glamour get to your head. Never forget your roots, right? Oh yeah, I bet you've already made some friends there but please make sure that they're not snooty, overly fabulous divas. :P Good luck with your job and everything! I'll see you soon, okay? Take care. :D

Your bestest friend in the whole wide world,

Sokka

P.S. If you ever see Jet Lee, can you please please pretty please cherries on top get an autograph for me? I'll owe you forever if you do! XD

Katara smiled and sighed. It was nice to get a little piece of home once in a while, especially since she was out on her own in a totally new environment.

_I sure do miss them… I wish I didn't have to leave but hell, I need to make my own future. Plus what kind of writer would I be if I didn't explore new things? Who knows? I could become a success here. I just wish it was easier…_

Continuing her routine, she started working out with the help of her exercise video, a yoga mat and her exercise ball. After this, she checked her mail on her dining table. As she was flipping through the envelopes, she noticed that they were all bills – cable bills, phone bills, electric bills, and water bills. After she saw these, her headache immediately worsened. She had saved up quite a sum of money during college by working part-time in a coffee shop. Her dad had paid for her fare going here, had bought her the apartment and had helped her buy the rest of the necessities for her new life in the Fire Nation. She intended to stop depending on her dad financially once she started working but since she was just an intern – despite rumors of her already being considered for a position in the studio – and she hoped that the rumors were true because she needed the money badly.

Trying to get those thoughts out of her head, she flipped through the TV channels until she reached E!. Unexpectedly, she saw the same man with whom she had an encounter last night – Zuko Agni.

_My god! Seriously, isn't there anything else on TV except him?_

Katara just wanted to take an amnesia pill and erase last night's events. Sure, she had a little crush on Zuko when they first met but after last night, she was downright angry with him.

_I mean, my god, he was just so bold last night! Geez, what's with him? How can he have the guts to just kiss me like that?_

She remembered the way Zuko held her close and gave her tender kisses on her neck. Her thoughts also drifted to the way he whispered seductively in her ear and teasingly nibbled on it. Katara felt herself blush just thinking about it. She was no prude and nor was she a virgin – she had boyfriends back when she was in the Water Tribe – but no man had ever touched her or spoken to her the way Zuko did. As much as she wanted to deny it, his gentle touch made her shiver, his soft lips made her melt and his husky whispers made her breathless.

And she hated it with a passion.

She hated the way that his piercing eyes made her knees wobbly. She hated that she fell for his charm. She hated that she let him treat her that way. She hated that she actually liked him at first. Above all, she just hated his whole arrogant, brazen, overconfident attitude.

Right then and there, she swore that if she saw him again, she would treat him like dirt-No, worse than dirt.

_That guy just needs a taste of his own medicine and I'll be damned if I don't give it to him._

But right now, she had more important problems…

For example, how was she going to get the money to pay for all her bills?

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>

1. Riya is my OC. Idk, I just needed a random slutty girl to emphasize Zuko's attitude. I didn't want to use other girls from ATLA because I might find a future use for them.

2. Azula and Zuko don't hate each other. They just don't interact that much.

3. So… once again, I'm trying something new. Sokka and Katara aren't siblings in this fic. They're just BFFS. Hope it works out :D

4. Yes, I just had to make his name Jet Lee. I was out of ideas, okay? Lol :P

5. Idk when I'll update again but I hope it's pretty soon. So yeah. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in it but I do own Riya.

So yeah, hope you liked it! R&R please! :)


	5. Chapter 5: Break Up

**Chapter 5: Break Up**

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><p><em>Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!<em>

The chiming of the door bell echoed through Zuko's house. When he heard it, Zuko groaned inwardly. Turning the TV off, he stood up from the couch and headed to the intercom near the entrance elevator.

"Who is it?" he told the intercom. He made sure to always check who was at the door from the intercom first before he unlocked the elevator doors below. He had experienced one too many cases of rabid fangirls visiting him and begging for his autograph or his picture or his lips on theirs.

A deep masculine voice answered him. "It's me, kiddo! Open up."

Zuko turned on the TV beside the elevator that let him see who was at the door. After a few of the fangirl incidents, he had a security camera installed at the entrance of his house. Indeed, it was his agent, Zhao. As usual, he was fiddling with his sideburns and chewing on the edge of a lit cigar while he waited for Zuko to open the elevator doors.

Rolling his eyes, Zuko pressed a button and immediately, Zhao gained access to the elevator. A few seconds later, he was face to face with his agent.

"Hey, Zuko! How've you been, buddy?" he said.

"Hey, Zhao." Zuko said, plastering on a fake smile. "I'm still doing fine. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?"

"Nah, I'm good. Saw your sister yesterday by the way. Damn, that girl's going places."

"Obviously. Starring in the most popular soap opera in the world can't be too bad."

"Uh-huh. But hey, let's not forget about you. I mean, come on. You just got a role in that new movie."

"What? I did?"

"Well… audition, really. Did I forget to mention that? But hell, you're as good as in."

"What's the movie about?"

Zhao handed Zuko a manila envelope with a few papers inside.

"All the details you need to know about the movie plus the script are in here. Anyway, back to business."

Zuko put the envelope on his coffee table and braced himself. Usually, when Zhao had to come over to deliver news, it was bad.

"How are you doing with this Mai thing?" Zhao asked

"Zhao, you of all people should know that I wasn't happy with it to begin with and I'm still not happy now. It was your idea, for God's sake!"

"I know, I know. Apparently, it's not looking so good for your popularity either. I think we ought to go in a new direction."

"Which is?"

"Get this… You being single."

"So you're saying I have to break up with her?"

"Technically, it's not a break-up if you were never really in a relationship."

"Unfortunately, my discontent is one-sided. She just likes mooching off of me."

"Exactly why I decided to go in a new direction."

"Fine. I'll do it. But you better come up with a good reason for this when the press starts asking questions. And it better make me look really good."

"You got it, kiddo. I suggest you do it ASAP because I heard some people are already planning to invite both of you to co-host or something. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"Obviously not."

"Alrighty then." Zhao said, heading back to the elevator. "I'll be going now. Good luck, Zuko."

Zuko watched as Zhao rode the elevator down to the exit. Before he was out of sight, his agent put on his shades and flashed his client a pearly smile. Zuko locked the doors again before heading to his bathroom. He splashed some water on his face to wake himself up.

_Ugh… Great. My agent comes up with the idea of dating Mai and so I do it. I hated it to begin with but hell, I still did it. Now, he wants nothing to do with Mai and I have to break up with her. Why do I always end up doing the difficult things? _

After wiping his face with a towel, Zuko changed out of his robe and took a long bath. As he basked in the bubbles and tried to unwind, a certain girl wandered into his mind again.

"Katara…" he murmured as he closed his eyes in relaxation.

He remembered that night in the club when he first saw her. She looked so alluring in that dress and with her hair up, showing her graceful neck. He recalled how soft her skin felt, how her warm breath gave him tingles and how perfectly their bodies fit together that night.

And yet, she didn't want him. He was the only girl he had ever met that resisted him. Not only that, this girl actually _pushed_ him away and told him to his face that she didn't want anything to do with him. This shocked Zuko… stunned him, rendered him speechless…

And if possible, turned him on ever more.

Soaking his face with handfuls of water, he waved away thoughts of Katara before he got carried away. He decided to focus on the problem at hand.

_Well, she already invited me to the studio. Might as well get it over with there. Maybe I'll bring her some flowers to ease the pain._

But Zuko knew deep inside that no amount of flowers would ever calm his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend down when she was angry. And hell, she was about to get really angry.

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon…<p>

A knock was heard on the door of Mai's dressing room at White Lotus Studios. After putting on a fresh coat of lipstick and checking her hair, she told the person at the door to come in.

"Hey…." whispered a raspy voice near her ear. Seconds later, a soft pair of lips planted a kiss on her cheek. She smirked in satisfaction.

"Hey Zuko. What did you bring me?" Mai asked, not caring that she was too straight to the point.

He showed her the vase of red roses and smiled. Mai's smirk grew wider. She thought it was about time Zuko warmed up to her. Ever since they had been dating, he had been a bit… cold. She thought at first that it was just his way. Even if it bothered her, she decided to stick it out. After all, Zuko was popular, handsome and most importantly, _rich_.

"Wow. These are great. I was hoping for earrings or like, new shoes or something but whatever." she said with slight condescension.

"Yeah, okay. Umm… Mai, I have something I want to talk to you about." Zuko said, sitting down near a window.

_Finally! _Mai thought. _Maybe he's finally going to ask me what car I like. Or maybe he's finally going to ask me to take a trip with him. A Caribbean cruise would be so nice._

"I've been talking with my agent and he says… umm…" Zuko started running his hands through his hair.

_Aww, that's cute. He's being shy._ Mai thought.

"He says… Well, I'm not only basing this on his opinion. I also agree with him. Well… umm… Zhao and I both think that it's best if we…. break up."

Because of the excitement, Mai stood up and hugged Zuko.

"Yes, I would love to!" Mai said, unaware that her selective hearing was kicking in. "Wait…. What? Could you repeat that please?"

"I said we should break up. I mean, it's probably for the best. This isn't really working out for me and I'm sure you can-"

"_Excuse me!_" Mai screeched. "You're breaking up with me? Because your agent told you to!"

"No! Not only that! I agree with him!"

"So you're just leaving me here cold turkey! What the hell! Who's going to be date to the awards show this Friday? And who's going to buy me that new car, Zuko!"

Zuko rolled his eyes, stood up and looked her in the eye. He was tired of taking all her crap and keeping quiet about it.

"Look, Mai. This is exactly why I want to end this relationship, if you can even call it that." he said through gnashed teeth. "You don't even like me! You just want me to buy you things and to make you look good! My god, you don't even know my birthday!"

"That is so not true! I cannot believe you are accusing me of-"

"Don't even try to pin this on me. You want me to be honest with you? Fine. I'm breaking up with you because there are obviously no mutual feelings of attraction between us! I never liked you! I only started dating you because my agent forced me to! So haha, the joke's on you! I never intended to buy you all those nice things! Hell, I just stole that bouquet from the lobby!"

Because she was so angry, Mai's nostrils flared and her pale skin turned pink. She was speechless after Zuko's speech. Not knowing what to shout back, she grabbed the vase of flowers that Zuko had given her a few minutes before and hurled it at Zuko's direction.

Luckily, Zuko ducked and the vase crashed through the window, making a loud noise as they broke into sharp pieces. Zuko stood up, made sure his shirt and jeans were free from glass and checked the soles of his leather loafers. Grabbing his leather jacket from a hook near the door, he looked back at Mai who was still red with anger.

"Look, Mai." Zuko said sincerely. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll find someone who's better for you than I am."

"Just go, Zuko. Get out of my sight right now."

He sighed and was about to close the door when they both heard a_ click_ and saw a flash from the window. They both turned to the window and saw a photographer hiding in the bushes, holding a camera to the broken window.

Mai started to call security through the intercom in her room. Groaning in frustration, Zuko ran as fast as he could to the parking lot. As soon as he exited the studio doors, a flurry of cameras, microphones, reporters and incessant questions attacked him. Zuko tried to block it out while he speed-walked to his car. He put on his shades so that his expression wouldn't be caught on camera.

_Zuko, why did you break up with Mai? Mr. Agni, is there a third party involved in this break-up? Is it true that Mai Lockhart is in fact a gold digger? Was your whole relationship with her just a popularity strategy? _

Zuko kept silent throughout the whole walk to his car. He got in, put the keys in the ignition and tried to drive away but some reporters blocked his car's path out. He was completely surrounded. He was about to call the police but the studio security started to escort the reporters away. Slipping the guards a 20 for helping him out, he drove away, not even knowing where he was going.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

So yeah. Merry Christmas everyone!

From today (Dec. 24) until Dec. 26, I'll post one chapter per day . I would post more but I wanna leave you with a cliffhanger (MWAHAHAHAHA! )

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in it but I do own Riya.

So yeah, hope you liked it! R&R please!


	6. Chapter 6: Two Drinks

**Chapter 6: Two Drinks**

* * *

><p>Country music filled the room as Zuko entered the bar. It wasn't like the bars he usually went to. This bar didn't have a waiting line outside or neon lights or a luminescent dance floor. It just had a counter, some barstools and booths. It was the type of bar that middle class people went to – the type of bar that one would see in sitcoms about everyday people. Because Zuko was born into the upper class, he wasn't used to this kind of scene. He headed to the counter and put down a fifty.<p>

"Can I have a beer please?" he said, taking off his shades and putting them in his jacket pocket.

He heard the bartender so he looked at the man questioningly. He had short slightly gray hair, a thin mustache and a beard that circled his amused mouth. He put the fifty in the register and pulled out a few bills for change.

"First time here, huh?" the bartender asked, handing Zuko the change.

"Uhh… yeah. That obvious?"

"Just a little bit."

The bartender handed him a cold frosty beer and smiled.

"By the way," he continued. "Better be careful with your wallet. I'm sure this isn't the type of neighborhood that you're used to."

Zuko patted his back pocket and sighed in relief as he felt his wallet still present.

"But how did you-"

"Around here, only rich kids put down a full fifty for a beer just for themselves. Thought you could use a tip."

"Thanks…umm…"

"Jee. My name's Jee."

"Thanks, Jee. I'm-"

"No need to make an introduction. Wouldn't want the paparazzi to be all over you, would we?"

With that the bartender smirked at him and continued cleaning the glasses. Zuko grabbed the beer and headed to a booth in the back. While on his way, he saw a familiar person who was staring hard at a laptop and massaging her temples.

Smirking and running his hand through his hair, he made his way over to the booth where she was sitting and sat down across her.

"Well, well, well…" Zuko said, turning his charm on. "Fancy running into you here."

The girl looked up from her laptop and frowned immediately when she saw Zuko. She started to pack up when Zuko grabbed her wrist.

"You know you don't have to leave. I'm not here to bother you." he protested.

"I beg to differ." Katara protested, taking off her reading glasses and putting them back in the case.

"I just came over to say hi… Hi."

"Hi. Now go away."

"Oh come on. I can't be _that_ repulsive."

"Again, I beg to differ. What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be on a date or doing a show or getting another girl drunk and taking advantage of her?"

"Well, you got the third one right."

Katara made a disgusted face at Zuko then packed her laptop in her bag. Before she could leave, Zuko blocked her way and made her sit back down.

"Chill…" Zuko said. "I was just kidding. Where's your sense of humor?"

"It's getting shoved up your butt if you keep bothering me." Katara snapped

"Look, why are you so bothered by me? Is it so wrong for me to just have a conversation with you?"

"I know guys like you. You want something bigger after the conversation part but hey, I'm not that kind of girl."

"You may know guys like me but you don't know _me_."

"Well, maybe I don't want to know you."

Zuko frowned and Katara instantly felt guilty. He looked pained. What she said was a low blow and she really didn't mean to hurt his feelings. Massaging her temple with one hand, Katara sighed and unpacked her laptop again.

"Fine…" she said. "One drink. But that's it."

Zuko smiled and took another sip from his beer. He gestured to the waitress for another one and a few moments later, a glass of beer was in front of Katara.

"So… what are you doing?" Zuko asked, trying to peek at Katara's laptop.

Katara tried to turn it away from him but he already saw it.

"Why are you looking for coffee shop jobs?" he asked. "Aren't you already a writer in the studio?"

"I'm still just an intern. I need the money." she replied flatly, not wishing to bring up another topic of interest for him.

"How come?"

"So I can pay my bills."

"Well, why a coffee shop job?"

"Because I already know how to do that."

"How?"

"Do you always ask this many questions?"

"Do you always provide insufficient information?"

"If you must know, I used to work part-time in coffee shop when I was in college."

"Okay. You know I can talk to my uncle if you want. I can tell him to make you an official employee already… or at least make him consider it."

"I don't need your help."

"It's no big deal. I can do this on my own. Besides, that might take a while."

"How soon do you need the money anyway?"

"As soon as possible."

"How much is it?"

"Do you really have to know?"

"Do you want me to help you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?"

"Seriously, how much is it?"

"Fine, I'll tell you. But only if it'll get you to be quiet…"

Katara grabbed a napkin, wrote the figure down and passed it to Zuko.

"This isn't a big deal." he scoffed.

"Maybe not for rich kids like you. I'm sure this is just your allowance or something." Katara replied, still scrolling through the want ads. "Normal people like me have to work for that."

"Come on. It's not like that. What's this money for? Water, electricity, internet?"

"Why?"

"Just tell me."

"Internet and electricity."

"Right. Can I borrow your laptop?"

Before Katara could reply, Zuko started typing something in her laptop and pulled out his phone.

"Hello, is this Omashu Electrical Industries? I would like to settle a bill for Katara Mizu. Yeah, you can put it on my credit card. The number is-"

Suddenly, Katara grabbed his wrist, making him tell the person on the other line to hold on.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, eyeing the webpage on her laptop. It stated that her internet bill had just been paid off.

"I'm helping you out."

"I don't need your help."

"I know but I'm not doing this because you _need _me to."

With that, Katara was left speechless while Zuko settled her electric bill on the phone. A few minutes later, they were in a conversation again.

"You're welcome." Zuko said, sliding the laptop back to her.

"Well… I… Umm…" Katara stuttered, not really knowing what to say.

"Don't worry about it. I only ask for one thing in return."

Katara raised her eyebrow and looked suspiciously at him.

"What's that?"

Zuko pointed to her empty beer glass. "Have a few more drinks with me."

"But that's it, right?"

"Yep. My treat. No other catch, no other condition."

"Fine."

"So what are you doing here? Why go to a bar if you're looking for a new job?"

"It was the nearest place with Wifi. Plus, it looked a bit empty and I just needed some alone time."

"Ohh… Guess I ruined that for you, didn't I?"

"Just a little bit." Katara chuckled, surprising herself. _Why the hell am I laughing at his jokes? I'm supposed to be hating him._ "What about you? What's a big-time star like you doing in an average joe place like this?"

"Long story."

"Not fair. Unless you want me to think that you're stalking me, tell me."

"I'm fine with it if you think that I'm stalking you. Come on, not all stalkers can be this hot."

Zuko flashed his winning smile that made Katara's heart pound wildly. She rolled her eyes despite blushing.

"See, that's what's weird about you, Zuko. You do something super nice like pay my bills but then later on, you turn into this arrogant, self-worshipping ass. What's up with that?"

"Come on. Don't you think it's too soon to judge me?"

"Fair enough. Sorry, I take it back. But anyway, what _are _you doing here?"

"I… uhhh… Damn, this is a bit embarrassing."

"More embarrassing than 'I went here because I needed Wifi and my electricity and internet got cut off?'"

"Well… I got chased by the paparazzi. I needed a low-key place where I can hang out for a while."

"Ahh… the life of an A-list Fire Nation star… Must be great, right?"

"Yeah, I'm bursting with joy." Zuko said, removing his leather jacket and setting it down next to him.

"So…. your phone seems quiet. Doesn't Mai care that you're suddenly MIA?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"About?"

"About your life in general."

"Oh really? About my life in general or about my love life in particular?"

"Do you honestly think I'm going to be into you after two drinks?"

"I never said that you would be. I never even mentioned you being into me… It's interesting that you brought it up though…"

Zuko smirked at her while he wiped the beer foam from his upper lip. Katara had her hair in a high ponytail like when they met in the bar, but this time, it was messier. She was just wearing a hoodie and matching sweatpants but in Zuko's opinion, she still looked amazing.

"My phone is silent because Mai isn't going to call." Zuko started to say, rubbing the back of his neck boyishly. "Mai isn't going to call because she's mad at me. She's mad at me because I broke up with her a while ago…"

Katara raised her eyebrows in slight disbelief at Zuko. When he looked at her straight in the eye for more than fifteen seconds, she looked away because she believed him. She kept telling herself that that was the only reason when in truth, she looked away because she didn't want to let herself melt in his golden eyes again.

"Met another girl huh?" Katara said

"You could say that…" Zuko replied, winking at her and finishing his beer.

"… So…. I guess that story's going to be all over the news tomorrow…"

"Yeah… My agent will take care of it."

"Really? You let your agent take care of your relationships?"

"Not all… Just the one with Mai…"

"Yeah? Why'd you break up with her anyway?"

"Umm…."

Zuko thought hard about what he was going to reply. Was he going to tell her that the relationship was just a popularity strategy? Was he going to tell her that he never even liked her in the first place? Was he going to tell her that Mai almost hit him with a vase when he told her? No, no and hell no.

Katara noticed his discomfort and immediately regretted her question.

"I'm sorry…" she said. "I tend to pry too much. You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"Thanks…" Zuko said, sighing in relief.

After a few more minutes, Katara finished her beer and packed up her laptop.

"So… it's been two drinks. Your conditions have been met." Katara told him, getting ready to leave.

"You're really that excited to leave, huh?" Zuko said, putting some money down for payment plus tips. They started to walk out the door together.

"Well, it's getting late and it's Monday tomorrow so it's kind of a busy day at work… for me, at least."

"You know, whether or not you want me to, I'm still going to talk to Uncle Iroh about making you an employee."

"Alright, but I don't owe you anything this time since I never wanted you to do that in the first place."

"Fine by me. So how are you going to get home?"

"Just going to walk. It's only like… four or five blocks from here to my apartment."

"Come on. I can't let you walk alone this late at night." Zuko said, feeling a drop of water on his cheek. "And hey, it's drizzling. You're going to get sick."

"No big deal. I have a hoodie and I can run."

"Sorry, can't let you do that. You are officially getting a ride home from me."

Zuko led her to his car and unlocked it. He opened the passenger side door for her and waited. Katara, however, remained standing outside.

"Look…" she said. "I don't want this to lead to anything that we'll both regret tomorrow morning."

"It's not going to. I promise. I'm just going to give you a ride home and then I'll leave."

"I don't know how to pay you back…"

"Don't. I insisted on it anyway. Now get in before the rain starts pouring hard."

Katara reluctantly entered his car. Half an hour later, they were in front of her building. They got out and Zuko led her to her door. He leaned on the doorway while he waited for Katara to unlock her apartment.

"You know, I'm not letting you in." Katara said, stepping inside her apartment.

"I know. I'm just making sure you get home safely, like a gentleman would after a date." Zuko replied, flashing his smirk once more.

"Okay, let me make things clear for you." Katara replied, returning her testy tone. "First of all, this _wasn't_ a date."

Zuko raised his hands in mock defeat. "Whatever you say, Katara."

"And second… this doesn't change things. I know you did a nice thing for me and hey, I'm really grateful but I still don't like you. I'm still going to avoid you as much as possible and be bothered when you're near me, alright?"

"Alright, duly noted."

"You know that's never going to change, Zuko…"

"Oh yeah?" Zuko said, smiling devilishly and putting a piece of gum in his mouth. He winked at Katara one more time before walking away. "We'll see, Tara. We'll see…"

* * *

><p>Katara huffed and slammed the door after Zuko left.<p>

_How dare he wink at me again? Does he actually think I'm going to fall for him? Ugh… I already made it clear that I wasn't interested. Why won't he give up?_

She leaned against the door and exhaled loudly, hoping she'll breathe out all thoughts about Zuko. As she lay in bed later that night, she tried to convince herself that she still hated Zuko with all her guts.

_Come on, Katara. He's still an arrogant guy. You don't want a guy like that. Plus it would be too complicated to be with him. Anyway, he's not even that attractive... His skin is too pale... His eyes are too bright... His hair is too shaggy… He winks too much… He smirks too much too… Ugh, forget him, Katara. That's not your type. You're not even attracted to him. Plus, he's just like all the other ones. He's a player Katara. It's best to stay away from him. You never liked him and you never will…_

She repeated these thoughts to herself like a mantra until she felt herself fall asleep. She figured that maybe if she said it enough, she would start to believe it.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

When I said bars that you see in sitcoms, I mean sitcoms like How I Met You Mother. Not bars like in Gossip Girl, because, obviously, those are like high-end bars.

So yeah. Updated :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in it.

Hope you liked it. R&R please! :D


	7. Chapter 7: Crash Course

**Chapter 7: Crash Course**

* * *

><p>"You and me, Ramon." Zuko said, staring down the Latino gangster while holding a loaded gun in his hand. "Right here, right now. Let's settle this."<p>

Ramon smirked and positioned his finger in his own pistol. The hot desert air surrounded the two. A ball of tumbleweed rolled across them, almost serving as a go signal for their duel to begin. The two circled for a few moments before Ramon took a shot.

_Bang!_

Zuko dodged, did a somersault on the ground and fired his gun at Ramon. The gangster clutched his chest, filling his hand with blood. He shot Zuko another smirk before falling to the ground dead. Zuko stood up, blew the smoke away from his gun. Zuko glared at the corpse before walking away without turning back.

"CUT!" screamed a man's voice. A few seconds later, two people surrounded Zuko, bringing him a towel and a bottle of water.

"That's a wrap, people!" the director screamed again before telling the cameraman to stop rolling.

"Zuko, that was great!" he said, approaching the star. "Awesome job today. But hey, don't forget, we have another taping to go tomorrow. Last one. Man, this is going to be big! This movie's going to win so many awards that I'll have to build another house just to have a place to display them!"

Zuko nodded before walking away from the set. He went back to his dressing room and lay down on the couch. It wasn't enough that he was exhausted from the taping. He also lacked sleep. Even though he got home fairly early the previous night, he was awake until two o'clock in the morning thinking about Katara. He took pride in the fact that he got her to be civil with him. It meant that he finally broke that wall that she put up to block him. Even if it was just a teeny tiny crack on the top of that concrete wall, it was still something. On the car ride home the previous night, he immediately called his uncle to talk to him about officially hiring Katara. His uncle said that he did see great potential in her and that she was sure to be on the payroll within the week. Now, Zuko just had to wait for the right time to strike the wall again.

Because of his exhaustion, he started to nod off. He was already snoring when loud knocks on his door woke him up.

"Who is it?" Zuko asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"It's Jet." his friend replied from the other side of the door.

"Come in."

Jet entered, pulled a nearby chair next to the couch and sat down.

"What's up?" Zuko asked

"Nothing. Just bored. I came in early."

"Really? How is that possible?"

"I thought my call time was now. As it turns out, it's still in the afternoon. I was too lazy to drive back home so here I am. How about you?"

"Just finished taping. Really, really, really tired."

"Seriously? Tapings usually don't make you this tired."

"Well, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Oh really?" Jet said, raising his eyebrow and elbowing his friend. "Who's the lady and was she hot?"

"It's not what you think." Zuko said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was really not in the mood to be taunted by his friend right now. "Yes, there was a lady and she is very hot."

"So how come it's not what I think it is?"

"Nothing happened. We just had a couple of beers and that was it."

"So in short, it was a sex-less date?"

"According to her, it wasn't even a date."

"Were you two alone?"

"Yes."

"Did you talk about personal stuff?"

"Sort of."

"Did you hit on her?"

"Of course."

"Did you buy her stuff or pay for stuff?"

"You have no idea."

"Then it's a date! Why did she say it wasn't?"

"Because she sort of doesn't like me… Not yet, anyway."

"Wow. Met your match huh?"

"Believe me, I think she's more hard-headed than I am."

"Interesting… Who is this girl anyway?"

"Katara, that girl we met before in Jenamite."

"Oh, that hot Water Tribe girl? Uhh… Katara, was it?"

"Yeah… her…"

Zuko smiled at the mention of Katara's name. It was amazing how he was so attracted to her last night even if she was just wearing sweats. He was even more attracted to her when she wore her glasses. That was one of the things he liked most about her. She was actually smart – and not just I-know-useless-trivia type of smart.

"So… this is pretty awkward…" Jet said, loosening the collar of his shirt with his finger.

"What is?"

"Now that you and Mai broke up-"

"You heard? Already?"

"Yup. All over the internet, pal. Now is that real or was that just some paparazzi hype?"

"It's a little of both. I broke up with her yesterday and she almost bludgeoned me with a vase but I bet the tabloids are making this a totally big deal about this."

"Ouch…"

"So, what were you saying? Now that me and Mai broke up…?"

"Well… Can I date her? You can say no if you want but believe me, knowing me, it'll only be a one night thing."

"Dude, it's totally okay with me. Besides, all you need to get her to screw you is a platinum Visa and strong arms to carry her shopping bags. My advice: Your funeral, bro."

"S'alright. I'm sure I've had worse. Besides, it's just one night. Thanks."

"Sure…"

Suddenly, another knock interrupted their conversation. When Zuko opened the door, he was met by camera flashes and another set of paparazzi.

_Mr. Agni, how are you taking your break-up? Will this affect your performance in your new movie? Will you be dating soon or are you already dating someone?_

With a frustrated groan, he slammed the door in their faces and jammed it with a chair.

"Dude, how do they keep getting past security?" Zuko said.

"I don't know." Jet said, opening a window. "No time to think about that now. We gotta move!"

Just then, the reporters forced the door open. Jet stepped out the window and onto the flower beds outside. Zuko followed him and shut the window from outside before the paparazzi caught up with him. Then, he ran back inside the studio from another entrance and tried to lose the reporters by getting them lost in the maze-like building.

* * *

><p><em>My God… this is what I get for forgetting to set my alarm!<em> Katara scolded herself internally as she ran through the studio halls, carrying a stack of papers in her arms.

She accidentally overslept and as a result, she was late for work. Just her luck, she had a pile of papers on her desk with a note that said "Has to be sent to the actors by 11 AM." Right now, it was already ten minutes to eleven and she was just starting to deliver the scripts. Tucking away strands of hair away from her face, she read the next name on her list of actors.

"Okay, next stop – Azula Agni." she said to herself, running to the set of As The Fire Burns.

Before she turned a corner, she thought she saw two men running followed by a stampede of paparazzi that was quickly catching up with them.

_Huh? Was that Zuko and his friend? _ Katara thought, stopping to breathe for a few seconds. _Nah, it can't be. Don't they have bodyguards that protect them from reporters? Oh well…_

Shrugging, she continued running to the gradually darkening hallway.

_Okay, I can do this. If I can get this done by eleven, maybe I'll be a step closer to that payroll. Oh! There! I can see the lights of the set! I'll just turn another corner and-_

_BAM!_

* * *

><p>"Hurry up, Zuko!" Jet panted.<p>

"Can you chill? They're way behind us." Zuko said, stopping and leaning on the wall to catch his breath. "My god, I need more exercise."

"Look, I know they got lost but these reporters have a way of popping up when you least expect them to. Exhibit A: this situation."

Just then, they heard more footsteps a few meters behind them. A reporter spotted them and called everyone else's attention.

"There they are!"

Zuko and Jet exchanged a look of panic and started running again. They reached the end of the corridor which had two paths, one going to the left and the other going to the right.

"This way!" They said, each of them pointing in a different direction.

Unknowingly, they ran separate paths until they couldn't hear the reporters anymore. Zuko stopped running leaned against a wall. He now realized that he was at the set of his sister's soap opera, As The Fire Burns. Just when he caught his breath, he heard footsteps again and turned a corner. He was looking back, trying to check if the paparazzi was back on his heels when-

_BAM!_

* * *

><p>Papers flew everywhere and a big <em>thud<em> was heard as the two collided. Zuko landed on top of Katara and they were both covered in sheets of scripts. They both shook their heads in an attempt to get their minds on right track again.

"Oh my God, I am so-" Katara started to say, holding her forehead in pain

"Hey, watch where you're-" Zuko said, holding himself up on his knees and hands.

They both stopped talking when they realized who they were talking to.

"You!" Katara screamed, her face becoming red again. "What are you doing on top of me?"

"It was an accident! I didn't know you were coming and-"

They were interrupted by flashes, clicks and microphones.

"Smile!" a reported said, focusing his camera on the two.

Zuko and Katara looked each other in panic. Jet was right. The paparazzi did have a talent for popping out when you least expect them to. Unfortunately, they caught Zuko and Katara in a _very_ compromising position and in a few hours they would become the talk of the town.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ultimate cliffhanger

So anyway, this ends my Christmas vacation update time I don't know when I'll be able to post a new chapter again but I don't think it'll be too long.  
>Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I wish you all in advance a Happy Happy New Year!<p>

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in it.

So yeah, hope you liked it! R&R please!


	8. Chapter 8: Proposition

**Chapter 8: Proposition**

* * *

><p>After the reporters were escorted away by security (unfortunately, <em>after<em> they took pictures of Zuko and Katara), Zuko, Katara and Jet were led to Iroh's office. Zhao, Zuko's agent, was contacted and he came over right away. Zuko, Katara and Jet were sitting on the couch. Iroh and Zhao were both sitting at the desk, making angry phone calls. Zuko had an ice pack on his knee while Katara had one on her head. Jet, meanwhile, was playing games on his iPhone.

"Uggghhhh…."

A collective groan was heard from the five people resting in Iroh's office. Iroh and Zhao were both frustrated after putting down their phones. Zuko and Katara were still bruised from their fall. Jet didn't get the high score in the third level of Angry Birds on his iPhone.

"Nephew, I just hired more guards from the agency. I just don't understand how these paparazzi keep getting past our security." Iroh said, frowning and signing some papers. "From now on, no reporter will be able to get past those doors unless given a special ID. By the way, Katara, don't worry about the scripts. I told them that there was an emergency. They'll understand."

The two nodded, trying to avoid as much movement as possible. Jet's tongue hung out of his mouth as he concentrated on the next round.

"Zuko, I just talked to the tabloid people." Zhao said, lighting a cigar. "They said they wouldn't remove the pictures. They also said they would release them by tomorrow. Sorry, kiddo… They threatened to put false statements in the article if I keep bugging them."

"What! But that's not fair-Ow! Damn it!" Zuko said, gripping his knee in pain. He got carried away by his anger and stood up too quickly, momentarily forgetting his bruise.

"Can't we sue them instead?" Katara added, holding her ice pack in place. "They did trespass, after all."

"No use, kid." Zhao replied. "Their defense is always 'As reporters, we have the right to investigate and search for stories.'"

"Bullshit!" Jet exclaimed.

"I know, right?" Katara said, nodding at Jet's statement.

"Huh? What?" Jet said, looking up from his phone. "Oh… I was actually cursing because I didn't get the high score again… But hey, sure, whatever you're talking about is pure bull too."

"So what do we do now, Uncle?" Zuko asked, rolling his eyes at Jet.

Iroh was about to reply when his office phone rang. He picked it up and after a few "uh-huh's," he started to walk out the door.

"Uncle! What are me and Katara supposed to do?" Zuko said, desperate for help.

"I'm sorry, nephew. I cannot handle this right now. A few more reporters are trying to get in. It looks like I have to handle that myself. Talk to Zhao about it first."

Zuko and Katara both looked at Zhao with pleading eyes.

"Please tell me you can fix this." Zuko said. "Mai might actually assassinate me now."

"Whoa, wait a minute." Katara said. "I don't want to get involved in something that could have violent results."

"Okay, I think I have a plan, guys… Jet? Can you please give the three of us some time to talk?" Zhao said.

There was no reply from Jet. Instead, there were just sounds from the game he was playing on his phone. Frustrated, Zuko limped over to him and covered the screen of Jet's phone with his hand.

"Wha-Dude! I was about to get a high score again!" Jet complained

"Dude, get out. Zhao needs to talk to me and Katara."

"But this couch is so comfy…"

"Dude, just go. This is serious, man."

"Fine, fine… I'll call you later." Jet said, starting his game again on his way out.

Zuko sat back down and put the ice pack back on his knee, which had an ugly purple bruise on it.

"So, what's the plan?" Katara asked.

"Okay, _do not_ react before I finish telling you guys the entire plan." Zhao said, eliciting nods from the two teenagers. "Look, I know this is going to sound crazy but maybe this whole 'scandal' isn't such a bad thing. In fact, I think all of us can benefit from this. Let's face it. You two do look good together. Well, at least so much better than you and Mai did, Zuko… no offense. Anyway, I was thinking… maybe… just _maybe…_ you two can pretend to be… you know, a couple for a while… Just for show…"

"_WHAT!" _screamed the two teenagers.

"Hey, I'm not done!"

"_BUT-"_

"Wait! Let me finish… Think about it, guys. It's a win-win situation. Zuko, this will obviously get you high ratings from the press and put your name on top of the Most Wanted Actors list. Katara, it's every girl's dream to be a famous star's sweetheart and hey, this is will definitely get your name more noticed in the writing industry. Okay, now you can talk…"

There was silence for a few moments before Zuko interrupted it.

"…. It sounds… alright. I mean, hey, if it's beneficial to both her and me, then why not?"

"Why not? Why _not!" _screeched Katara. "Uh, hello! Everyone in the _world_ is going to hear about this! What about my family? What about my friends?"

"Do you have a boyfriend back in the Water Tribe?" Zhao asked

"Well…no,but-"

"Then what's the problem?"

"How am I supposed to keep my job if I have to pretend to be his 'sweetheart' 24/7? Unlike Mr. Popularity here, I do have trouble making ends meet!"

"Katara, we're prepared to offer you financial compensation for this… Isn't that right, Zuko?"

"Yeah, sure, I guess." Zuko replied

"See? And besides, you two could do a _lot_ worse than each other. Zuko's young, famous, good-looking and very rich. I mean come on, Zuko's obviously fine with it."

Zuko flashed Katara his winning smile in an attempt to woo her into agreeing with the plan. Instead, all her received was an icy glare and the sound of Katara's fist pounding on the table.

"Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to be paid to be someone's escort? You can't just pay me and do whatever the hell you want with me! And what happens if this whole thing is over? I'll just be that 'poor commoner' that this guy dumped? Plus, what about the paparazzi? They'll be stalking me all day and all night, especially if this thing goes on! This is the dumbest plan I've ever heard of!"

Katara started walking out the door when Zuko stood up and tried to stop her.

"Katara, wait… Just consider it, please." Zuko said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"No! I would never consider being used as someone's girlfriend, especially if you're the guy I have to be with!"

Katara shook off his hand, stormed out and banged the door shut. Zuko sighed dejectedly and sat back down.

"So what are we going to do now?" he asked his agent, who was stroking his sideburns again.

"Don't worry… She'll be back."


	9. Chapter 9: Deal

**Chapter 9: Deal**

* * *

><p>Katara arrived home very late that night. She had been stalked by reporters ever since she stepped out of the studio. They even followed her while she was driving. As a result, she drove around town for three hours just to get them off her path. After she parked her car, she swiftly ran into the building, up the stairs and into her apartment. She locked the door behind her and closed the curtains that covered all her windows. She even changed all her passwords on all her accounts just to be sure. The paparazzi paranoia was definitely getting to her.<p>

She had received bills again. Her headache was bad enough from the incident that morning but it worsened when she saw how much she had to pay.

_My god, where am I going to get this money? Even with a regular job at the studio, it'll take me months to pay all of these off! Ugh…._

Katara decided not to think about it for a while. She decided to clear her head and watch TV. When she turned it on, she immediately saw a video of her and Zuko on the studio floor while cameras flashed all around them. Groaning, she turned the TV off and threw the remote on the carpeted floor. She decided to call the one person she knew could make her feel better about this – Sokka.

"Hey…" she said, after Sokka picked up.

"Hey! Hey you!" Sokka replied cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Oh… nothing. I… I was just a little homesick, that's all."

"Come on… I know you better than that. What's up?"

"Well… Have you been watching the news lately?"

"Oh… _Oh…_ That. Yeah, all of us here pretty much heard the news already."

"Ugh, great. What did Dad say?"

"He was pretty cool about it. He wants to meet the guy though. I do too."

"Well, you guys have nothing to worry about. Believe me."

"How come?"

"Let's just say both Zuko Agni and I were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So, it's just the usual paparazzi exaggeration thing?"

"You have no idea…"

"Okay, so what's the problem?"

"Nah, it's nothing…"

"Seriously, tell me…"

"No, it's embarrassing!"

"Katara, we've been friends since we were like, five years old. We know each other to the bone. I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle."

"Fine… I'm just having money issues, that's all."

"You have a job, right?"

"Well, technically, I'm still an unpaid intern."

"Oh… Isn't there another way you can earn money?"

"Umm…. I guess, but I don't know if it's considered… decent."

Katara didn't even know why she was considering _that_ option.

"My god, Katara don't be a prostitute! First of all, that's illegal! Second-"

"Eww! No! No! No! No! Sokka, how could do you even think that?"

"Oh my god! I know what you're going to do! Katara, don't be a stripper! You don't even know how to dance!"

"Sokka! I am _not _going to be a prostitute and I am _not_ going to be a stripper! And hey, I can dance!"

"Okay, fine, fine. So what is this job that may or may not be decent?"

"Well… I'll tell you but you have to swear that you'll keep your mouth shut about it."

"Don't I always?"

"You don't! Remember when I told you who I liked before? Well, an hour later, all of our classmates knew who I had a crush on and _you_ told them!"

"That was like… in fifth grade. I promise I won't tell anyone about this."

"Okay. So Zuko Agni and I bumping each other and landing on top of each other was a total accident but then the paparazzi came and well, you know that part… Anyway, after that, we were all like 'what are we going to do about this?' So, Zuko's agent, Zhao, made a proposition. He said that Zuko and I should pretend to be a couple since according to him, it's a win-win situation. Zuko would gain more popularity points and stuff and I would be fulfilling every girl's dream of having a famous heartthrob as her lover."

"I don't get it. How does this solve your money problems?"

"Well, Zhao said they would be willing to pay me for this."

"Oh… I see…"

"Well, what do you think? Should I do it?"

"I don't really think it's as indecent as you think it is. I mean, have you worked out the details? Have you talked about what you guys can do and what your boundaries are?"

"No, I didn't even consider it a while ago."

"Maybe you should, Katara. I mean, as long as he respects your boundaries and as long as you get your money, I don't think you have anything to lose."

"But Sokka, come on… Doing this for money? It just seems so… wrong."

"I know. I see your point but it's not like you're doing it for the wrong reasons. You're doing it to pay your bills for God's sake. Besides, you can use the paparazzi as blackmail. If he starts taking advantage of you, you could threaten to tell the reporters and the police."

"Isn't that a little harsh?"

"Well, you can do that when worse comes to worst."

"I guess… You think it's really okay? You don't think it's like… beneath me?"

"No! Of course not. Besides, who knows? That guy might be nice."

"Right… I hope so too. Thanks, Sokka. I miss you, by the way."

"Yeah, I miss you too. I'll visit you soon, okay? I think we better end this call. I wouldn't want you to add more to your cell phone bill. Good night, Kat!"

"Oh, crap. Good thing you remembered. Good night, Sokka! Thanks again!"

After Katara ended the call, she started getting ready for bed. Climbing into bed, she started thinking about the decision she was about to make.

_Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm sure it won't be that bad. I mean, he is a pretty… okay guy… sometimes. Ugh… I just have to hope for the best…_

* * *

><p>Katara and Zuko sat on the chairs in front of the desk in Zhao's office. Zhao had his hands in a typing position on a keyboard. He typed furiously as he tried to take down everything the two said.<p>

"Here are the rules." Zuko said, adjusting his sunglasses. "First, we should almost always be seen together in public. By that I mean at least three dates in public every week. Second, we should appear affectionate and we should always look like we're having fun when we're in public. Third, you should be my date to events such as awards ceremonies, parties, interviews, etcetera. This will count as one date. Fourth, you should never get mad at me in public. If ever you do want to get mad at me, it can wait until we're inside the car or something. Fifth, you're not supposed to tell anyone about this proposition. Word gets around very fast, believe me. Sixth, from now until further notice, you are officially my girlfriend… Okay, your turn."

"Okay. First, before we go out on a date, I will need to approve of the location and the activities to be done at said date." Katara started. "Second, I'll agree to be affectionate but you can only kiss me in the facial area and maybe the back of my hand. No neck, no ear, no nothing. I'll also agree to have fun as long as it doesn't involve nudity, drugs or alcohol. Third, I'll be your date but I demand a separate allowance to buy clothes and accessories which are appropriate for the said events. I'll make sure to get your approval before I purchase them but the garments should not be too flashy or revealing. Fourth, I'll agree to stay calm in public as long as you don't act so arrogant in public… well, at least try."

"Hey! I don't-"

"Not done." Katara said, putting her palm up to silence Zuko. "Fifth, I already told someone _before_ this agreement meeting happened. But don't worry; I assure you he won't tell. Sixth, fine, I'll be your pretend girlfriend but you have to respect me like I really am your girlfriend. Seventh, this whole arrangement should not interfere with my work and my personal schedule. Lastly, you're not allowed to get drunk, get high or just… be a pig in general when you're around me, both in private and in public."

Zhao wiped his forehead as he stopped typing and took a deep breath.

"So do we have a deal?" Katara asked.

"Wait…" Zuko said. "I have another demand."

"What is it?"

"You should live with me."

"What? Excuse me?"

"You should live with me. In my house."

"What! Why!"

"Think about it. Once we go super public, the paparazzi are going to be stalking you so much that you'll barely get home every night in one piece. They're going to hunt you down like a rabbit in the forest. My house has great security, plus they're going to be arrested once they come within 50 yards of the perimeter of my whole property. And hey, if all you have to do is pay rent and a little bit of electricity for a while, you'll save more money. What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid! I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Come on. I won't bite… well, unless you want me to…" Zuko said, flashing his smirk once again, making Katara frown.

"Fine, fine. But the second things start to get… uncomfortable, I'm out of there."

"Okay then. So, do we have a deal?"

"Yeah… fine… Deal."

Zhao proof-read the paper and printed it while Katara begrudgingly shook Zuko's hand and rubbed her temple with her free hand. While she wasn't looking, Zuko raised the hand he was holding and kissed it softly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Katara said, after feeling his lips on the back of her hand.

"I'm just practicing. Besides, this is normal. We are supposed to be a couple… Right, Katara?


	10. Chapter 10: Welcome

**Chapter 10: Welcome**

* * *

><p>"Aren't you done yet?" Zuko asked impatiently, rotating the chair he was sitting on to face her. "It's already, like, eleven-thirty, babe."<p>

Katara groaned and continued typing as fast as she could. She was so tired of Zuko's complaining. No one told him to wait for her at the office anyway. Since everyone had already left, he took the seat next to hers – Toph's – and just waited. It was even more annoying when he started rolling his chair around in the hallways and making racecar sounds.

"Shut up. I'm almost done." Katara snapped. "Don't call me 'babe,' by the way."

"I kind of have to, remember?"

"…..Fine."

"Besides, you said you were almost done an hour ago."

"Well, I wasn't back then but this time I really am. Why don't you just play with your chair again? You seemed like you were having fun doing that a while ago. I wonder what everyone would think if they found out that _the_ Zuko Agni still plays with computer chairs and pretends that he's a Formula 1 Champion."

"Ha! Like they'd even believe you if you tell them… Seriously, Katara, I'm freaking hungry. Can't you finish that tomorrow?"

"I'll be even more behind tomorrow if I put this off."

"Well, how long will it be until you finish?"

"Give me ten minutes."

"Ugh, fine, but that's it. Otherwise, I'm leaving you here."

"Fine by me."

After ten minutes, Katara finally shut down her computer and her desk light. She gathered her belongings and left the office with Zuko following her.

"Finally, you're done." he said, unlocking his car. "Took you long enough."

"Well, geez, sorry. Not everyone has an oh-so-glamorous job like you have."

"Thank God we already got some of your clothes and other junk from your apartment during lunch break. Imagine if we still had to get them now."

"You didn't have to come with me a while ago. Plus, you didn't have to wait for me just now. I could have taken a cab or whatever."

"Well, that's not something a boyfriend would do, is it?"

Katara just rolled her eyes and focused her attention on the window until they arrived at a drive-through. Zuko bought a cheeseburger meal for himself and also for her. Even if she was really hungry, she didn't want to eat in front of him. She was still trying to hate him for getting her into this mess. Plus, she would never hear the end of it from him because he would rub it in her face that she was finally letting him buy her things. Five minutes passed by when he started talking to her.

"Aara, usd ead oredee." Zuko said, still chewing on his burger.

"What?" Katara said, looking at him in utter confusion. "Would it kill you to swallow first before talking?"

Zuko rolled his eyes, speed-chewed and swallowed his food. After taking a sip from his drink, he started talking to Katara again while plucking fries from the packet and taking bites from them.

"I said 'Katara, just eat already.' Please tell me you're not one of those girls who never eats in front of guys."

"No, I'm not."

"Then why aren't you eating?"

"I… I'm not hungry."

"Yeah, right. I've heard your stomach grumble twice since we got in the car. Come on, if you don't eat it, I will."

"What? No!"

"So you don't want your food but I can't have it?"

"Y-Yes. That's right." Katara said, looking out the window again. She didn't want him to know that she was secretly planning to eat later while he was asleep.

"Why won't you let me get your food?"

"Because it's mine!"

The car slowed down at a red light, giving Zuko a chance to look at Katara questioningly.

"Seriously, Katara? Geez… And you call me spoiled…" he said.

"Fine! If it'll shut you up, I'll eat." Katara said, trying to hide her hunger. She quickly unwrapped the foil from her burger and took a bite. "There? Happy now?" she asked after chewing and swallowing. She saw Zuko glance at her for a minute and smirk.

After a few minutes of silence, Zuko drove up to a pathway that led to fifteen-foot tall iron gates. He rolled down his window and pressed his thumb against a scanner that stood a few feet from the gates. Katara heard a beeping and the gates slowly opened. Zuko rolled his window back up and continued driving down the pathway. Katara had been completely mesmerized by the premises. The tall iron gates were just the beginning. The pathway was lined with lampposts so there was sufficient light for her to see the house itself. The pathway ended in a rotunda with a marble statue in the middle. Behind that was a modern-looking three-story house. With a click from a remote in Zuko's hand, the giant garage door opened and Zuko eased his car inside.

"Dude, the whole first floor is just the garage?" Katara asked with genuine curiosity. She had never seen houses like his before.

"Yup. Well, that and the path to the private beach." Zuko said coolly, packing up the leftover food and stepping out of the car. "Come on," he said, telling Katara to follow him. "The entrance is this way."

Katara hurriedly grabbed her bag and caught up with Zuko. After making their way around two more cars, she found herself staring at a tall spacious glass cylinder that was surrounded by a giant aquarium.

"Uhhh… What now?" Katara said.

Zuko pressed a button on the wall and the glass doors parted. Following his lead, Katara stepped in and waited while the elevator moved up. Zuko took off his leather jacket and stretched a bit while waiting. Katara couldn't help blushing at the sight of Zuko's strong arms flexing just a few inches away from her. She tried to focus her attention on fish swimming around her when a chuckle interrupted her thoughts and she found herself glaring at Zuko.

"What's so funny?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Chill out, Katara. I just took off my jacket because it was hot. It's not like I'm giving you a strip-tease or something."

"What? Ew! No!" Katara said, furiously shaking her head and blushing even more. "I wasn't even thinking about that! Why can't you get over yourself?"

"Well, you seem to be having a hard time getting over me too…"

"What? I-"

She was interrupted by the elevator doors opening and Zuko stepping out. She followed him and was rendered speechless at what she saw.

"Whoa…" she said, looking around. On her left she saw a dining room with an enormous table in the middle and beside it, a living room with a couch that was big enough for fifteen people. On her right she saw another living room – a cozier-looking one – with a brick fireplace and beside it, a big kitchen with an island in the middle. What caught her attention was the giant portrait of Zuko above the fireplace. In that portrait, suit-clad Zuko was sitting on the floor with his back against a wall on the right. A few buttons of his white long-sleeved shirt was undone and he hung his jacket over his shoulder. His amber eyes stared into the distance as if they were seeing another world.

"Like the portrait, huh?" Zuko said, smirking at her again. He left Katara too stunned to speak and led her upstairs. "Look, can I just give you the tour tomorrow? It's late and I want to get some sleep."

Snapping out of her daze, Katara finally regained her ability to answer him. "Yeah, sure. Just show me the guest bedroom and I'll be out of your hair for the night."

Zuko paused before taking the last step to the second floor and looked at her. "Guest bedroom?" he scoffed. "Katara, you're sleeping in _my_ room."

"Huh? Well, where will you be sleeping?"

"In my room. That's why it's called '_my_ room.'"

"So you'll have an extra bed in there?"

"No. There's one bed."

"Zuko, I'm not sleeping on the floor."

"Who said you were? You're sleeping on the bed." Zuko said, leading her into his room. Katara saw a king-sized bed in the corner, a walk-in closet beside it and a private bathroom just beside the entrance of his room. He closed the door behind him and started getting clothes from his closet.

"So… where will you sleep then?" Katara asked.

"The bed." Zuko replied

"But… I'm sleeping on the bed."

"Yeah. So?"

"Zuko!"

"What? It's big enough for two!"

"It's so inappropriate!"

"Not for us! We're supposed to be a couple, remember?"

"Well, the public can't see us while we're sleeping!"

"What's the big deal? It's not like I'm going to grope you in your sleep or something…."

Katara scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right." she said skeptically.

"I promise I won't…. Not that you'd actually try and stop me if I did…" Zuko said, murmuring the last part.

"Oh my god! What makes you think I'm attracted to you? I'm so not!"

"Sure, Katara… Although you do blush a lot for someone who claims to be not attracted to me…"

"I do not! What's with you and all these assumptions? I'm really not attracted to you!"

"Hmm… methinks the lady doth protest too much."

"Look, I know you're used to girls getting on their knees and worshipping you but believe me, I'm very different from those girls."

"Yeah, you are… For one thing, you actually try to hide the fact that you like me but I gotta say, you're not really that subtle…"

Katara just gave him a glare in response while he continued smirking at her. _Damn, he really knows how to shut me up…_ she thought angrily.

"Ugh! I'll just sleep on the couch." Katara said pointing to the couch that leaned against one of the walls. She frowned once she saw boxes of clothes and other paraphernalia on the couch.

"Fine." Zuko said. "By the way, those are all your stuff. After lunch, I dropped them off here. If you still have energy to unpack them so you can sleep on the couch then go ahead. Otherwise, the other side of the bed is available."

Katara started unpacking while Zuko got ready for bed. He was wearing only a pair of boxers when he lay down and turned off the lights. Katara knew it was useless to finish unpacking tonight. Her only choice was to sleep on the bed. Sighing in defeat, she got ready for bed as well. A few minutes later, she climbed under the covers wearing a loose shirt and shorts. She saw Zuko still staring at her as she did so.

"What?" she snapped.

"You know both of us could have been asleep earlier if you had just agreed to this in the first place." he said, interlocking his fingers and placing his hands on his bare chest.

"Yeah, well, let's not waste anymore time. I have work tomorrow. Can you let me get more wiggle room? I can't get more blanket space since you're lying on top of it."

"It's too hot to use a blanket. You'll be suffering in the morning when you finally feel the heat."

Katara just turned away from him and still tried to get a bit more blanket space. Chuckling at her struggling, Zuko turned away too and started to sleep.

"Good night, Katara." he said in that arrogant tone that she hated so much.

Katara smirked to herself too and gave a strong sharp tug at the blanket, sending a half-asleep Zuko rolling down the bed and falling to the floor with a loud thud.

"Good night, Zuko." Katara whispered before falling asleep with a satisfied smile on her face.


	11. Chapter 11: Breakfast

**Chapter 11: Breakfast**

* * *

><p>Just like Zuko said, the morning heat woke Katara up. It had enveloped her throughout the night but she still refused to take off the blanket. Being next to a half-naked Zuko was enough. She just didn't feel that comfortable with his very exposed body just a few inches from hers but she didn't know why she felt that way.<p>

When Katara opened her eyes, she found herself facing Zuko's side but instead of seeing him, she saw the wall beside the bed. Sitting up, she groggily stretched and got out of bed.

"Zuko?" she called, receiving the sound of running water as an answer. She knocked on the bathroom door and continued talking. "Zuko? Are you in there?"

"I can't really hear you right now. I'm taking a shower." he answered from inside the bathroom.

"Okay, never mind."

"No, it's fine. You can go in-"

Before Zuko could finish, Katara made her way out of the bedroom and went to the kitchen. She decided to make breakfast for the both of them. She figured that she still owed him a little since he bought her dinner last night, even if it was just a cheeseburger and some fries.

By the time Zuko finished taking a shower and arrived in the kitchen, he could smell the scent of bacon and toast in the air. He saw Katara preparing breakfast and putting them on the counter, which had barstools on the side nearest the living room. She had already made toast, fried bacon, prepared the butter, jelly, jam and marmalade and poured orange juice for two.

"Hey…" he said. "You didn't have to make breakfast for me too."

"Oh, hey. It's no big deal. I kinda owe you for dinner last night." Katara said, frying eggs. She turned back to talk to Zuko again. "Anyway, how do you like your-OH MY GOD!"

Katara immediately turned away when she saw Zuko with only a towel on his waist. His hair was still floppy because of the water and his bare skin slightly glistened because of remaining drops of water on his body.

"What?" he asked, smirking again.

"Oh my god! Can you please put some clothes on!" Katara snapped, blushing furiously but focusing all her concentration on the eggs she was frying.

"Katara, what's the big deal? You saw me in boxers last night."

"Yeah, but at least boxers are actual clothes! That's just a towel! One flip and I can see…. _things_!"

"Ho-ho! Well, wouldn't you _like_ to see those things?"

"No!"

"Are you sure? I'm very good at what I do with these…_things_."

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Zuko, I swear, if you don't put on clothes now, I'll hit you on the head with this very hot frying pan!"

"Alright, alright." Zuko said, still chuckling while walking back upstairs. "Chill out, babe."

"I'm not your babe!" Katara called, tossing the now-burnt egg into the trash can and cracking open a new one to fry.

Minutes later, Zuko was back. This time he had a pair of boxers on, but that was it.

"Happy now?" he said, walking to the counter and sitting on one of the barstools.

"Yeah, fine. At least it's not just a towel." Katara replied, rolling her eyes and transferring a sunny-side up egg on a small plate. "Anyway, how do you like your eggs?"

"Sunny-side up, please."

"You can have that one. I'll just make myself a new one."

Zuko nodded and transferred the egg to his own plate. He also got a couple of strips of bacon and spread butter on a piece of toast. When Katara started eating, Zuko was already getting his second helping. While he was eating, Katara couldn't help staring at him again. It was as if her eyes were magnetically attracted to him.

_Damn… This guy's gut doesn't even fold over when he eats. He doesn't even have one. It's just… abs. His chest isn't bad too. Plus, his arms look really strong… Seriously, how did he get that fit? Did he, like, set up camp in the gym for like five months or something? God, those are some nice abs… I wonder he'll mind if I poke his abs… and stroke his chest… and maybe kiss his-OH GOD! What am I thinking? Ugh, stop it, Katara! Just look away! Focus on your bacon… Yes, yes, crispy bacon…_

"Wow, you're really hungry, huh?" Katara said, clearing her throat and breaking the silence.

"Umm… Yeah, I guess…" Zuko answered, washing down more strips of bacon with a drink of his orange juice.

"It's not an insult or anything. You just seem eager about breakfast."

"Yeah, I am…"

"How come? It's just breakfast. Bacon, eggs and toast are everyday breakfast items."

"Well… It tastes great and… Nah, never mind. Let's leave it at that."

"Come on, tell me."

"Well, umm… I don't usually have breakfast at home."

"Oh… I'm sorry. I just wanted to make it up to you for dinner last night."

"No, no. It's not a bad thing. It's just… I usually pick up a bagel and coffee at a nearby coffee shop or something."

"Why don't you just cook your own breakfast?"

"I don't know… I don't really have the energy to do it. I haven't had a real home-cooked breakfast in such a long while."

"Haven't the girls you've been with ever made you breakfast?"

"Nah… They never cared enough."

"Not even Mai?"

"No… Not even Mai…" Zuko said with a far-off look in his eyes.

"…I… I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Nah, it's fine. They meant little to me anyway…"

Katara nodded and kept eating. She wondered if Zuko really meant what he said. Minutes later, Zuko pushed his stool back, put his dirty dishes in the dishwasher and started walking back up to his room.

"By the way…" he said before leaving the kitchen, "Thanks for breakfast. It was nice… No one has made me breakfast in such a _long_ time…"

He gave her a genuine smile. It was so different from his smirk. His smirk was tough and domineering. It showed arrogance and boastfulness. On the other hand, this smile that he showed now was gentle and very real. It showed how caring and sweet he could be. Katara's heart fluttered at the sight of this and blood rushed to her cheeks again.

"Umm… No problem, really." she said, awkwardly smiling back. "I-I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Well, it sure beats overpriced bagels and cups of coffee."

Katara chuckled and finished off her breakfast while Zuko started walking out again. He stopped midway and turned to her again.

"By the way, we're going out to dinner tonight." he said. "It's a pretty classy place so wear something nice."

"Okay… What is this place?" Katara asked suspiciously.

"It's a restaurant uptown that serves international cuisine," answered Zuko, who was starting to show his smirk again while jogging up stairs. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll like it there… _babe_…"

"_I'M NOT YOUR BABE!_"

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

Guys, I think it'll be a while before I update again. Sorry, I have limited time on the net. Anyway, when I update, I'll make sure it's good. Also, I might post a new fic soon. Stay tuned! Love you guys! R&R please! :D


	12. Chapter 12: First Date

**Chapter 12: First Date**

* * *

><p>Looking at the bathroom mirror, Katara straightened her skin-tight cream-colored tube dress and rearranged the chunky black necklaces around her neck. Right now, nothing made her more nervous than her first public "date" with Zuko. The moment they stepped out of the car and into the restaurant, all eyes were on them. Seconds later, the whispers started and Katara panicked even more. At the moment, she was grateful for Zuko's arm around her waist, slightly squeezing her to give her reassurance. After running her fingers through her curly brown locks one last time, she got her black purse and her matching cream shawl from the marble sink and made her way out of the women's bathroom. She saw Zuko standing on the far end of the restaurant lobby and walked towards him as fast as her black five-inch heels could take her.<p>

"Hey…" she said, interlacing her fingers with his. Because of their agreement, they had to have physical contact when they were in public. "I thought you went in without me."

"Well, that wouldn't look so good to the press, would it?" Zuko whispered in Katara's ear. He snuck a quick kiss on her cheek before she could react.

Katara resisted the urge to hit him on the head. He was really making the most of their agreement. Zuko smirked, greeted the maitre d' and the couple followed him to a booth in the back part of the restaurant. Before he left, the maitre d' left menus on their table.

"So… what do you feel like eating?" Zuko asked, browsing through the menu.

Katara stared blankly at the extensive list of food and put it down after a few seconds.

"You know what?" Katara said, unfolding the napkin and laying it on her lap. "Why don't you order for both of us? I'm fine with anything, really."

"Uhh… Okay then…" Zuko replied. After a few more minutes of staring at the menu, he called the waiter to their table and gave their order. "We will have the crab cooked in butter, the roasted pork belly, the prawn salad and the pork wontons."

Katara practically drooled when she heard what Zuko ordered for them.

"And, your drinks, sir?" the waiter asked, tucking the menus under his arm.

"Are you okay with wine?" Zuko asked Katara.

When she nodded, Zuko addressed the waiter again.

"Bring us a bottle of your best wine and two glasses." he said

"Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you."

With that, the waiter walked away and left Zuko and Katara to themselves.

"Would you chill out?" Zuko said after a few moments of silence. "The more nervous you look, the more suspicious the public gets."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Katara said. "I'm not used to this like you are."

"Seriously…" Zuko said, sliding a bit closer to her. "It's fine. Just imagine you're on a real date."

"_Seriously?_" Katara replied, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Okay, fine. If it's that bad then imagine I'm some other guy – a guy you'd actually go out with."

"Look, it's not that-"

"Come on. We can't argue now. Just… Just imagine you're having a good time even if you think I'm a horrible human being."

"….Fine."

There was an awkward silence for a few more minutes before Zuko cleared his throat.

"Umm… Nice dress…" he said, looking away and rubbing the back of his head.

"Uhhh… Thanks…" Katara answered, scanning his outfit for something she could compliment. "Nice turtleneck."

Zuko wore a black suit with a thick royal blue turtleneck sweater underneath instead of a long-sleeved shirt.

"Please don't make fun of me." he said, blushing slightly.

"I'm not! I mean, I do question your idea of wearing a turtleneck in a place as hot as this but it's… alright." Katara replied, trying to suppress her giggles.

"It's not my fault! My stylist forced me to wear this!"

Katara burst into laughter at his reply and mentally thanked Zuko's stylist for letting her get a little taste of revenge. Zuko buried his face in his hands and started laughing with her later on.

"What is this?" Katara asked, wiping tears away from her eyes. "Is it like a librarian-chic kind of thing?"

"Oh my god!" Zuko said, exploding into laughter once again. "That's exactly what he said!"

When the food arrived, the two were just winding down from laughing. The different aromas engulfed the air and made Katara's stomach grumble. They quickly dug in and started tasting each dish.

"Wow, I absolutely _love_ the prawn salad." Katara said between bites.

"You should try the pork belly." Zuko said, handing her the plate. "It's awesome."

Moments later, Katara paused and looked around. A lot of the other people in the restaurant were staring and whispering about them. She elbowed Zuko and took a sip of her wine to wash the food down.

"What?" Zuko said, ready to shove a crunchy wonton in his mouth.

"People are looking." Katara whispered from the side of her mouth. "Maybe we should be more… poised." She immediately sat up straight and started eating as properly as she could.

"Oh… Good idea." Zuko agreed after scanning the area around them and seeing the whispers and the stares. "Sorry. I got carried away."

"So did I. Well, at least it looks like we're having a great time."

"Yeah… So… Are any of your officemates treating you differently since the incident?"

"Well, my friends are okay with it. Toph doesn't really care as long as I'm happy and Ty Lee's totally excited. She thinks we should double-date with her and Jet."

"Wow… I guess she's gets Jet more excited than usual."

"So, they're going steady?"

"Jet? Oh please… If that guy even senses a serious commitment within a five-kilometer radius, he runs like a gazelle being chased by a cheetah on one of those animal channels on TV."

"Right, right..." Katara said, giggling a little.

"So are there people trying to bring you down because of the incident?"

"Uhh… I guess there are a few girls I work with that give me glares when I pass by and whisper behind my back."

"Yeah? What would they whisper about?"

"Nothing, really… I just overhear them saying bad things about my hair or my clothes or my personality…"

"You know they're just jealous…"

"Well, sometimes they have a point." Katara said, taking her last bite from her meal and wiping her mouth with her napkin. "I mean, my hair could use a little more conditioning and I guess I could be a little less outspoken at work and-"

Before Katara could finish, she felt Zuko's hand gently rubbing her bare knee for comfort. She looked up and saw him giving her that same sweet smile she saw during breakfast.

"No…" he said, inching a little more closely to her. "They're wrong. Believe me; you don't need to change anything about yourself…"

"I…Uhh…Th-Thanks…" Katara said, avoiding his gaze and trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

Zuko couldn't take his eyes away from her. He had been mesmerized with her since they met. He couldn't tear his gaze away from her hypnotic blue doe-eyes. It took all of his willpower not to move his hand to a riskier part of her body.

_I could kiss her…_ he thought. _That's not against the agreement… But, is it too soon? If she hates me as much as she makes it seem, she might slap me right here, right now if I do that. Plus, I'll permanently ruin my chances with her. Ugh! Why does she always have to look so hot? My god, that dress, that body… Her skin's really soft too… Is it soft on other parts too, like her legs… or her back… or-NO! Stop it. It's just the wine. Calm down, boy. Take it slow…_

"Umm… Maybe we should ask for the check already." Katara said, still avoiding Zuko's gaze.

Zuko snapped out of his trance, asked for the check and told the waiter to wrap the leftovers. After he paid the bill, they took their leftovers and entered Zuko's car, which was driven in front of the restaurant entrance by the valet. Zuko couldn't find words to say all the way home. He was about to make idle small talk again when he noticed Katara fast asleep beside him. Minutes later, they arrived at his garage and Zuko parked the car.

"Katara…" he softly said, gently shaking Katara. "Katara, wake up. We're home."

All he received in response was a sleepy mumble.

"Come on, Katara. I'm not going to leave you here to sleep."

Again, he was answered by another sleepy mumble. Sighing, he climbed out of the car and opened the passenger side door. While gripping the bag of leftovers and his keys in his left hand, he carried Katara out of the car with both his arms and shut the door with his foot. After locking his car, he entered the elevator and arrived at the second floor. He set the leftover on the kitchen counter then brought Katara upstairs. He laid her on the bed and went back down to lock the elevator and to turn on the security system. After placing the leftovers in the fridge, he climbed back up the stairs and reentered his bedroom. There he saw Katara sleeping soundly on her side of the bed. Breathing a sigh of exhaustion, he removed her shoes, her shawl and her necklaces. He placed them neatly on the couch in his room and changed into his boxers. As he was lying down to sleep, he noticed that Katara had moved to the middle part of the bed. When he tried to pick her up and move her to her side, she rubbed her eyes and woke up.

"Zuko?" she groggily said. "Where are we?"

"We're home." Zuko replied, lying down and facing her.

"How'd I get on the bed?"

"I carried you in. You wouldn't wake up and I couldn't leave you there so I had no choice."

"Oh…"

Maybe it was exhaustion or maybe it was the wine – whatever the reason was, Katara scooted closer to Zuko and slept again with her back just inches away from him. Zuko tried to roll her away but when he held her side to move her, she guided it so that it wrapped around her waist, leaving his hand on her stomach and her arm on his.

"Uhh… Katara?" Zuko whispered, raising his head slightly to check on her. He saw her already dozing off with a small smile on her face.

_Hey, who am I to complain? _ he thought, bringing himself closer to her and holding her tighter. He buried his face in her long wavy hair, closed his eyes and waited for sleep to engulf him. _I bet she's going to beat the crap out of me when we wake up… Ugh, who cares? She's tired and needs rest… And she probably won't wake up until morning anyway… And she looks too beautiful to be woken up right now… And her hair feels really soft and smells like strawberries… And this is just really, really nice…_


	13. Chapter 13: Tension

**Chapter 13: Tension**

* * *

><p>Katara's eyelids fluttered open as the rays of the sunrise entered her line of vision. From head to toe, she felt like she was weighed down by anchors. She moaned groggily as she clutched her forehead.<p>

_Ugh, my head… What happened last night? _She started to stretch her limbs outward. _Why am I still in my dress? What happened to my necklaces and my shoes? And why is it so hot? I feel like something's pressed up against me… _As Katara laid her arms on her torso, she felt something around her waist. Alarmed, she sat up and looked at the source of the heat.

An unconscious Zuko lay beside her, snaking his porcelain arm tighter around her waist as she sat up. "Mmm… five more minutes…," he mumbled.

"ZUKO, WHAT THE HELL!?" shrieked Katara. "LET GO OF ME! WHERE ARE THE REST OF MY CLOTHES!?"

Enraged and very much awake, Katara threw Zuko's arm off her waist and pushed him away, causing him to roll off the bed. He tried to get a hold of his senses as he scrambled to get back up.

"Okay, you've been in my house for two days and you've thrown me off the bed twice." Zuko replied, rubbing his head and sitting on the side of the bed. "The rest of your outfit is on the couch. By the way, if I'm going to roll off the bed, I prefer to do that while doing another activity, which does _not_ involve clothing at all."

Katara rolled her eyes at his innuendo. "YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!"

"Is it possible for you to be a little quieter? It's six in the morning, for Agni's sake." Zuko replied, lying down and closing his eyes again. "What's your problem?"

"Why did you have your arm wrapped around me!?" Katara snapped with her arms crossed around her chest and her foot tapping the floor impatiently.

"That was all you, babe. You fell asleep in the car and you wouldn't wake up so I carried you in, took off all that other shit besides your dress, and put you on the bed. When I was about to get some shut-eye, you wrapped my arm around you. Who am I to say no to that?"

"You better not be lying."

"Why would I lie about that? Look, babe, if I wanted something to happen, it would have happened. Give me some credit here! You were there, sleeping and vulnerable. It was hard enough for me to keep your clothes on!"

"Can you please not be a pig? We had a deal, remember?"

Zuko rubbed his eyes and stood up to face her.

"Katara, I'm really not that bad, okay? Stop being so accusatory all the time."

"I wouldn't be so accusatory if you didn't make sexual innuendos and if you didn't call me 'babe' all the time."

"Fine, I'll stop… or at least lessen it but only if you stop thinking less of me. It kind of hurts, you know…"

With that, Zuko went straight to the bathroom. The sound of water rushing down from the shower filled the air a few seconds later. Katara felt instantly guilty.

_I didn't mean to hurt him… I just… I…_

` With a heavy sigh, she exited the room, walked down to the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast.

_ I'm sure it's nothing. He'll be fine later. Maybe the smell of bacon and eggs will cheer him up…_

* * *

><p>From the car ride going to work to the car ride going back, Katara's interaction with Zuko was awkward at best. Zuko was still upset about their argument this morning while Katara remained speechless.<p>

_I think I should say sorry. _Katara thought. _But it wasn't even a big deal! Nah, he'll get over it…_

Zuko remained stoic and cold, only watching the road ahead as they drove home.

"It's a good thing we both got out early huh?" Katara said, trying to make small talk. "I mean, how often can we say that we got off work at four in the afternoon?"

"Mmhmm." Zuko murmured, with a small nod.

A few more minutes of deafening silence, Katara finally spoke again.

"Okay, I'm just going to go ahead and point out the elephant in the room. Why are you being so quiet?"

Zuko shrugged.

"Are you still mad about this morning?"

"No. I'm fine."

"You know that's girl language for 'Nothing is okay.'"

"I'm not a girl."

"Then why are you acting like one?"

"Do you prefer a girl or a pig?"

"So you _are_ still mad…"

Zuko sighed heavily and said nothing. Katara followed his lead and stared out the window for the rest of the drive home. When they arrived, they both entered the elevator and went their separate ways without a word. Zuko went straight up to his room and closed the door while Katara sat on the giant couch, watching television.

Katara felt guilty. _I didn't have to be so mean to him…_ she thought. _What can I do to make it up to him?_

As if on cue, a cooking show came on and Katara suddenly had an idea. She turned off the television, headed to the kitchen and immediately started working.

* * *

><p>Zuko lay on his bed in his shirt and boxers. His laptop screen showed a profile of Katara on a social networking site. He sighed heavily as he looked at her pictures. He had spend the whole time he was home doing so.<p>

_It shouldn't bother me this much. I mean, most girls do think I'm a pig anyway. Can I blame them? Why am I letting this get to me? She's just another girl. This isn't even real. We're not even hooking up or anything… _

His voice of reason started communicating with him.

_You know you could just go down there and talk to her instead of looking at her prom pictures online. _

_ She hates me._

_ No, she doesn't and you know that. She's just a little uptight._

_ She's right to be careful of me._

_ Not like you'd hurt her._

_ Wouldn't I? I seem like the type to do just that…_

_ Not with her bro. Not with her…_

Groaning deeply and closing his laptop, he stood up and headed downstairs. An amazing aroma wafted through the air and immediately made him drool. He saw Katara, still in her work clothes, carrying a tray out of the oven and placing it on a cooling rack on the counter.

"Watcha making?" he asked, casually strolling to her side.

"Oh, hi…" Katara replied shyly. "They're cinnamon rolls."

She placed one on a dessert plate and held it below Zuko's nose.

"It's a peace offering." Katara said, with a small frown. "I'm sorry about this morning. You're right. I shouldn't be so hard on you."

Zuko tried to resist the treat that was inches from him.

"Go on…" he said, playing hard to get.

"And I forgot to thank you for carrying me to the bed the other night."

"…And?"

"And as much as I hate to admit it, you… really… aren't… that… horrible…"

Zuko raised his eyebrows and smirked at her, making her smile back.

"And?" he said in that signature smug tone.

"And you better eat the damn roll before I take it for myself!" Katara giggled.

Chuckling, Zuko took the plate from her and took a bite of the pastry. It was like heaven in his mouth.

"Wow…" he said with his mouth full. "This is good. I mean, like really good."

"I'm glad you like it. It's an old family recipe." Katara said, putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

"God, this is awesome. I mean, this is like, so much better than that overpriced coffee shop crap that I used to buy every day."

"Okay, I think you're overdoing this a bit. Have you never tasted this before?" Katara said, chuckling at Zuko, who was gobbling down the rolls like a little boy.

"Well, no. I swear to god, this is better than porn. And I'm a dude, so that's huge."

Katara rolled her eyes and walked away. "Well, help yourself. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to change clothes now."

"Suit yourself. More for me!"

* * *

><p>After Zuko finally washed his plate and put the leftover rolls in the fridge, he found Katara watching a romantic comedy on the television.<p>

"You alright there?" Katara asked, looking back at him. "You ate like, six of those rolls in a row."

"I'm good, babe. I got six more of those rolls right here." Zuko smirked, lifting his shirt and pointing to his chiseled abdomen.

Katara rolled her eyes and focused her attention back to the movie. He plopped down beside her with two cold beers, handed her one and sipped from the other. He tried to watch as intently as she did but romantic comedies weren't his thing.

"How can you watch this?" he said

"What? It's an awesome movie." she replied, keeping her eyes on the screen.

"Oh please, I could name a hundred more movies that are a hundred times more awesome than this one."

"Okay, just because a movie doesn't have car chases or explosions, it doesn't mean that it sucks."

"Well, yeah. I mean there are other factors to consider too when judging a movie – number of superheroes, amount of nudity, likeliness of a zombie apocalypse, whether or not Batman was in it…"

"Well I'm sorry if I actually like movies with substance in it."

"Substance? You call this substance?" Zuko pointed to the movie couple who had just confessed their love for each other and were now kissing in the rain.

"What, you don't believe in love?" Katara raised an eyebrow at him as the credits rolled.

"Of course I do! It's just that it's so cliché – the prince saves the damsel in distress, the evil dragon gets slain, everybody lives happily ever after, blah, blah, blah."

"What's wrong with happily ever after, Zuko?" Katara asked, putting the two now empty beer bottles in the trash can and heading upstairs.

Zuko turned off the lights and followed her to the bedroom.

"Nothing's wrong with it." he said, taking off his shirt and climbing into bed. "It's just… unrealistic. Things are never that easy in real life."

Katara climbed into bed soon after and started dozing off.

"Nothing worthwhile ever is, Zuko."

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

So… I'm back. Again, I apologize profusely for the delay (what an understatement) of the update. I hope this chapter makes up for it! (I added the gratuitous amount of Zuko nudity for you all) Will update soon (at least sooner than last time), I swear. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters in it.

So yeah, hope you liked it! R&R please! (Pretty please with a cinnamon roll with a shirtless Zuko on top! 3 ) :)


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